Ironstate Development transformed The Essex & Sussex, a landmark oceanfront hotel overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Spring Lake, NJ, into an age-restricted, luxury condominium residence featuring 165 residences. Following an extensive renovation of the former resort, Ironstate launched a highly successful sales and marketing campaign in 2003 which resulted in a complete sell-out of the building in just over six months.

The Essex & Sussex enjoys a storied past in the upscale town of Spring Lake. While use of the property for guests can trace its roots to several cottages called Hastings Square which opened in 1891, the five-story hotel building known as The Essex & Sussex opened to the public in 1914. The Essex Lounge, which offered dancing and entertainment for guests, opened to the public in 1955. In 1964, the hotel celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a ball that included such invited luminaries as future President Richard Nixon and then-Governor Richard J. Hughes. In 1980, the hotel and its beach were used as sets for the motion picture, Ragtime, James Cagney's last film.

Ironstate undertook extensive renovations to restore much of the Essex and Sussex's original 1914 brilliance, including transforming the elegant ballroom at the hotel -- which hosted gala balls attended by high society for more than eight decades -- into the residence's spectacular new dining room. Other exceptional amenities and services added to the new residence included 24-hour concierge, available gourmet dining, state-of-the-art fitness center and spa, piano bar and cocktail lounge, multimedia center, grill room, oceanfront solarium, championship billiards room and valet parking.