NJ hospital buys $8M Fort Monmouth land for new cancer center

TINTON FALLS — The site of a demolished Cold War-era research building will soon be home to a new medical campus with a cancer center.

RWJBarnabas Health announced Wednesday that Monmouth Medical Center has officially taken ownership of the 38-acre plot which was once part of Fort Monmouth. It was sold by the state Economic Development Authority for nearly $8 million, MMC spokesperson Elizabeth Brennan confirmed to New Jersey 101.5.

Construction on the Vogel Medical Campus at Tinton Falls, an expansion on MMC's Long Branch facility, is expected to begin next year. It will go up at the intersection of Corregidor Road and Pearl Harbor Avenue, the former home of the Myer Center.

According to RWJBH, the coming outpatient center will include spaces for same-day surgery, diagnostic imaging, specialty physicians, and a cancer center. The latter will be the "cornerstone" of the campus and partner with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

Monmouth Medical Center. (Google Maps)

“We are excited to take ownership of the property and begin the process of constructing a truly incredible facility. The Vogel Medical Campus will enable us to further our mission to deliver truly outstanding care to our community," MMC president and CEO Eric Carney said.

RWJBH said in a statement that the purchase was possible thanks to a $50 million donation from Sheldon Vogel and his late wife Anne Vogel. According to her obituary, both were born at MMC.

The 'Hexagon' at Fort Monmouth

Demolished in 2018, the Albert J. Myer Center was once a key research and engineering facility at Fort Monmouth that also served as CECOM headquarters for the U.S. Army. It was known colloquially as the "Hexagon" despite having five sides.

The site of the Myer Center at Fort Monmouth after its demolition. (Google Maps)

The Army's need for Fort Monmouth quickly diminished after it moved its headquarters to Maryland in 2005. The base closed in 2011, spurring the eventual creation of the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority with the purpose to sell off parcels of land to new employers and investors.

In October, Netflix announced it was the top prospect and bidder for another sprawling 300-acre tract of land at Fort Monmouth. The streaming service is looking to use the spot to build its largest production facility on the East Coast.

Rick Rickman is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at richard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com

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