Downtown Goes Upscale

Around the State – North JerseyNEWARK The state’s largest city witnessed the official grand opening of its first downtown luxury rental building in more than 40 years last week. The 35-story residential tower on Raymond Blvd., known as Eleven80, features 317 upscale units that measure from 598 to 1,401 square feet, with monthly rents starting at $1,595 for studio and one-bedroom apartments and $2,350 for two-bedroom units. Eleven80, which unofficially opened in August and has more than 150 residents, is a $112 million renovation of a 1930s commercial office building that stood vacant for two decades before the developer, New York City’s Cogswell Realty Group, purchased the property in 1998. The original marble walls, terrazzo floors and brass elevator doors of the 441,000-square-foot building have since been restored. Amenities include an 8,000-square-foot health club, a Pilates studio and a four-lane bowling alley.