IBM won't renew Endicott office lease: Why the company is leaving its birthplace

Chris Potter, Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
·4 min read

IBM will no longer hang a shingle in the Southern Tier village where it became a household name.

The company has declined to renew its Endicott lease at 1701 North St. when it expires Oct. 31, just shy of 100 years since a previous incarnation of it was renamed International Business Machines in 1924.

“IBM’s long and fruitful relationship with the Binghamton-area community begins a new chapter this spring,” said Mary O’Malley-Trumble, Senior Location Executive at IBM Endicott. “The past few years brought significant modifications in the way companies operate, and IBM is no exception — we will be ending our lease of physical offices in Endicott.

“This news is bound to have a sentimental impact in this community, which is the birthplace of IBM.”

IBM's rise and decline in Endicott

IBM has decided to end its lease of physical offices at 1701 North St. in the Village of Endicott, where the company has operated since its founding.
IBM has decided to end its lease of physical offices at 1701 North St. in the Village of Endicott, where the company has operated since its founding.

IBM’s legacy in Endicott traces back to the early 20th century, when the first manufacturing buildings were erected at what would later become the IBM Campus. The company had 930 employees in Endicott when it took on the IBM name in 1924. Business boomed, and during World War II IBM’s Endicott workforce swelled to over 10,000.

"Big Blue" powered the Broome County economy for decades. IBM was still growing the Endicott campus in the 1980s, announcing construction plans for Building 250, a 90,000-square-foot office building, in 1982. Approximately 6,500 people worked for IBM in Endicott as recently as 1993, according to the company’s chronology.

But IBM’s Endicott operation declined in the ensuing decades and the company sold the sprawling, 4.1 million-square-foot campus in 2002. Today, its last remaining footprint in Endicott is at Building 256. IBM said “a few hundred” employees report out of the site.

More: Solar developer eyes Endicott landfill. What to know about proposal, village response

More: Endicott pastor and wife find way to 'Ignite' faith and build church

How IBM will maintain a presence in the Binghamton area

“A large number” of employees had been working remotely since before the COVID-19 pandemic, which accelerated the trend. IBM said it will continue to provide local employees with a flexible work environment, “coupled with opportunities to remain active in a community that will always be special to our company’s history.”

“Nearly a century ago, Thomas Watson believed this was a special place to do business on the cutting edge of innovation and possibility,” said O’Malley-Trumble. “As we begin this new chapter, the Binghamton-area community remains a focal point of IBM investment and innovation.”

IBM plans to continue sponsoring STEM activities in the area as part of its “ongoing commitment to empower and educate the next generation of IT leaders.” The company also intends to remain active with Binghamton University's Watson College of Engineering, while the IBM Museum of Endicott and the Endicott History and Heritage Center “will continue to anchor IBM’s presence in the community,” said O’Malley-Trumble.

As its presence in the Binghamton area winds down, IBM remains headquartered in New York. The company welcomed President Joe Biden to its Poughkeepsie facility last fall to tout a $20 billion investment across the Hudson Valley to spur advances in semiconductors, computers, hybrid cloud, artificial intelligence and quantum computers over the next decade.

“From our zSystems mainframe business and quantum computing to AI and nanotechnology, IBM will continue to lead the industry while remaining firmly embedded in the community through our talented employees,” said O’Malley-Trumble.

More: What's next for $113M Binghamton battery project? What to know about timelines, impacts

What's next for IBM's former home in Endicott?

Vacant buildings at the Huron Campus in Endicott, considered the birthplace of IBM. The company has decided to end its lease of physical offices at 1701 North St. in the Village of Endicott, where the company has operated since its founding.
Vacant buildings at the Huron Campus in Endicott, considered the birthplace of IBM. The company has decided to end its lease of physical offices at 1701 North St. in the Village of Endicott, where the company has operated since its founding.

IBM’s former home may be poised for a renaissance. Phoenix Investors acquired the property in late 2021 and rebranded it the Huron Campus. Some old IBM buildings have since been repaired, while others are slated for demolition.

The demo project is expected to clear space for the growth of iM3NY, a lithium-ion battery manufacturer planning to bring several thousand jobs to the site. The company is targeting a $700 million loan from the Department of Energy to scale up its operation. The project, coupled with over $113 million in state and federal grants, could make the Binghamton area a national hub for battery Innovation, manufacturing and workforce development.

The campus is also anchored by BAE Systems, which produces electric power and propulsion systems for hydrogen vehicles. Another renewable energy company, Ubiquity Solar, has announced plans to manufacture solar panels at the site.

“A lot of our economic momentum started with Phoenix buying the Huron Campus,” said Endicott Mayor Linda Jackson. “That has started everything all over again. I think they really get a lot of the credit. Just drive down North Street and you can see they’re doing a lot.”

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: IBM leaving Endicott NY offices behind: What it means for local legacy