Allure 258, a multifamily high-rise, caps developer Blackstone 360’s decade-long effort to revitalize a swath of East Orange, New Jersey. The newest property is part of a collection of apartment buildings, first-class housing, that have transformed a once-overlooked section of that city.
East Orange has long enjoyed the advantage of being a transit hub, with access to Manhattan, but lacked the kind of quality apartments and retail that would make professionals who work in the New York metropolitan area want to live there. But housing such as Allure 258 is helping to change that, earning the project a 2023 CoStar Impact Award for best multifamily development in Northern New Jersey, as judged by real estate professionals familiar with the market.
Allure 258 is the culmination of Newark, New Jersey-based Blackstone 360’s construction of five, Class A buildings on South Harrison Street. Those mixed-use developments have attracted diverse groups of people, including young commuters and empty-nesters, offering luxury apartments at half the rent of comparable housing in New York City and Jersey City, New Jersey.
The Allure 258 high-rise was built during the coronavirus pandemic, creating challenges for its construction and raising questions about the viability of the development. But the project management team succeeded in crafting a plan to allow for work to continue while at the same time protecting the health of on-site workers. COVID-19-related obstacles delayed the building’s opening date, but it was completed.
About the project: Allure 258, located at 258 S. Harrison St., has 18 stories and 213 apartments. The distinctive building boasts a glass-clad facade, and its apartments feature floor-to-ceiling windows and views of the Manhattan skyline.
What the judges said: “Transformative and inspirational in a market that is often overlooked when developing Class A housing,” one judge said.
They made it happen: Blackstone 360 CEO and Founder Airaj Hasan and director of development Amira Hasan; Murat Mutlu, principal at INOA Architecture; Richard Adelsohn, project manager with Frank H. Lehr Associates; Aamer Islam, principal at Active Design Group Engineering and Taewook Cha, principal of Supermass Studios.