Manex Entertainment Buys Industrial Site for $2.5M

TRENTON, NJ-Manex Entertainment, which has won Academy Awards for its visual effects wizardry, is bringing its show to the capital of the Garden State. The Los Angeles-based company has acquired, for $2.5 million, the seven-acre former Roebling Steel Co. industrial site and plans to convert its half-dozen brick industry buildings into an East Coast headquarters.

The seller of the property was the Mercer County Improvement Authority, and county officials say the proceeds will be divvied up between and county the city of Trenton. The redevelopment project is expected to cost upwards of $60 million and ultimately create 1,000 jobs.

According to Manex officials, the existing buildings will be turned into a combination of offices, production and studio space. Manex is expected to largely replicate its existing West Coast operation, which provides visual effects for movie and television production companies. The company’s recent Academy Awards have been for its work on such films as “What Dreams May Come” and “The Matrix.”