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The Chilling Duality: Where Does Severance Take Place? (The Fictional Town Vs. The Real-World Locations)

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As of December 10, 2025, the mystery surrounding the true location of Lumon Industries and the town of Kier remains one of the most compelling aspects of the hit Apple TV+ series, *Severance*. The show masterfully uses its setting to amplify the psychological horror of its premise, creating a stark and unsettling duality between the sterile, endless corridors of the workplace and the seemingly idyllic, yet deeply strange, world outside. The answer to "where does *Severance* take place" is not a single location but a complex blend of fictional narrative and very real, distinctive architecture found across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast United States. The genius of *Severance*'s setting lies in this constant, unnerving contrast, which mirrors the split consciousness of its severed employees, the "innies" and "outies." While the narrative places the action in a deliberately ambiguous fictional town, the real-world filming locations are a fascinating mix of modernist architectural marvels and picturesque, historic American towns, primarily centered around New Jersey and the Hudson Valley region of New York.

The Fictional Home of Lumon: Welcome to Kier, PE

The world of *Severance* is anchored in the fictional town of Kier, PE. This is the supposed hometown of the severed employees like Mark Scout, Dylan George, and Irving Bailiff. The town is named after the founder of the shadowy Lumon Industries, the enigmatic Kier Eagan.

Why Kier, PE is More Than Just a Backdrop

The town of Kier, PE, is not just a place; it is a character in itself, steeped in the cult-like mythology of the Eagan family. The "PE" designation is never fully explained, adding to the town's unsettling, isolated nature—it feels like a self-contained, almost extraterrestrial community dedicated entirely to the Lumon corporation. * The Eagan Philosophy: The town is littered with artifacts and monuments dedicated to Kier Eagan, including statues and historical sites that reinforce the company's pervasive, religious-like doctrine. * A Company Town: Kier functions as the ultimate company town, where Lumon’s influence touches every aspect of the residents’ lives, from housing to employment. This creates a claustrophobic atmosphere for the "outies" and a total mystery for the "innies." * Architectural Contrast: The outie world of Kier is characterized by quaint, older homes and a sense of dated Americana, which stands in stark opposition to the ultra-modern, labyrinthine interior of the Lumon office. This contrast is key to the show’s aesthetic.

The Real-World Architecture of Lumon Industries

The most iconic and instantly recognizable location in *Severance* is the headquarters of Lumon Industries, a massive, imposing structure that looms over the town. This building, a perfect blend of brutalist efficiency and modernist design, is not a set piece but a real-life complex.

Bell Works: The True Lumon HQ

The exterior shots and the vast, open atrium of Lumon Industries HQ (Branch 501) are filmed at the Bell Works Holmdel Complex in Holmdel, New Jersey. * A Mid-Century Marvel: Bell Works was originally the Bell Labs Holmdel Complex, designed by architect Eero Saarinen. It was a hub for innovation and scientific research, making its transformation into the headquarters of a secretive, pseudo-scientific corporation like Lumon incredibly fitting. * The Iconic Atrium: The building's massive, light-filled central atrium perfectly conveys the sense of scale, emptiness, and corporate detachment that defines Lumon. This space is where the "innies" first arrive and where the "outies" live their lives, separated by the severance procedure. * Current Use: Today, Bell Works is a mixed-use development, a "metroburb" encompassing offices, retail, and dining, which makes it a publicly accessible location for fans to visit.

A Deep Dive into the Filming Locations (New York and New Jersey)

While Bell Works provides the monolithic corporate facade, the broader, more domestic world of *Severance* is spread across a variety of locations, primarily in the Hudson Valley, New York, and various spots in New Jersey. This geographic spread helps create the feeling of an isolated, generic American town that could be anywhere.

Key Hudson Valley and Upstate NY Locations

The domestic and outdoor scenes, including the homes of Mark, Petey, and the town’s main streets, were largely filmed in Upstate New York, giving the show its distinct, slightly melancholic look. * Mark Scout's House: The neighborhood where Mark lives, which is often seen covered in snow, was filmed in areas like Kingston, New York. * Petey's House: The home of Petey, Mark's former colleague, was filmed in Nyack, New York. * The Town Streets: Filming took place in multiple vibrant, historic towns across the region, including Beacon, Hudson, Ossining, and Utica. This patchwork approach is crucial for building the generalized, unsettling atmosphere of Kier, PE.

The Expansive Outdoors of Season 2

As the series expands its world, especially with the highly anticipated Season 2, new, expansive outdoor locations have been incorporated, further blurring the lines between the innie and outie worlds. * Minnewaska State Park Preserve: A significant location confirmed for Season 2 filming is the Minnewaska State Park Preserve in Ulster County, N.Y. This provides the stunning, natural backdrop for scenes where the characters venture outside the immediate confines of the town and the Lumon building. * Other New Jersey and New York Spots: Filming for both seasons also included areas in Long Island and Brooklyn (NY), as well as other parts of New Jersey, such as Middletown. The use of locations like the Palisades further grounds the show in the unique landscape of the Mid-Atlantic.

Thematic Significance: The Severed Geography

The real answer to "where does *Severance* take place" is a thematic one: it takes place in a state of mind, but that state of mind is given physical form by its carefully selected locations. The show’s geography is a deliberate narrative device. The Macrodata Refinement (MDR) office, the Perpetuity Wing, the Wellness Center, and the Security Office are all contained within the Lumon building, a space that feels infinite and inescapable. This internal geography is a metaphor for the "innie's" trapped existence. The endless, identical corridors and the lack of windows reinforce the innie's total ignorance of the outside world. Conversely, the "outie" world—Mark's secluded home, the town's modest main street, and the natural beauty of the surrounding parks—represents a life that is simultaneously free and yet utterly controlled by the corporate shadow of Lumon. The quiet, almost frozen-in-time aesthetic of the town of Kier, PE, ensures that even the outies exist in a kind of stasis, unable to truly escape the company’s reach. By contrasting the modernist, corporate landscape of Bell Works with the quaint, historic towns of the Hudson Valley, *Severance* creates a world that is both familiar and deeply alien, making the psychological cost of the severance procedure all the more chilling and unforgettable. The show’s geography is a masterclass in world-building, transforming a simple question of location into a central element of its mystery.
The Chilling Duality: Where Does Severance Take Place? (The Fictional Town vs. The Real-World Locations)
where does severance take place
where does severance take place

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