The Nell: A Boon to Dunellen

On Jul 22, 2025

Once the site of a bustling downtown, Dunellen suffered from Madmen-era mall and highway development that saw many shop owners pull up stakes, along with consumers and visitors. One of those businesses, a printing company named Art Color, left the area in 1968, taking with it the town’s largest source of employment.

Six decades later, the walkable downtown is thriving again, thanks to projects like The Nell, a $54 million mixed-use redevelopment of the 19-acre, defunct Art Color site. In 2017, developer Prism Capital Partners led a team of architects and engineers to remediate the environmentally impacted brownfield site and repurpose the property at 100 South Washington Avenue directly across from NJ Transit’s Dunellen Train Station. 

Designed by Spiezle Architectural Group, The Nell includes a 252-apartment multifamily component with state-of-the-art amenities as well as 130 townhouses developed by K. Hovnanian Homes. The property, marked by modern interpretations of old transit elements, is bolstering the community with the creation of two dozen full-time positions, not to mention the 250 construction workers employed during the build. 

In addition, a 9,300-square-foot, free-standing retail building fronting on South Washington Avenue – steps away from the downtown shopping area – is up and running with tenants Blue Foundry Bank and Kessler Rehabilitation Center. According to the Spiezle team, creating this retail “front door” at The Nell was a key design element in extending Dunellen’s downtown neighborhood to the site for a cohesive feel. 

Architect

Spiezle Architectural Group

Hamilton Township

Builder

Prism Capital Partners

Nutley

Nominator

Sandy Crisafulli

President,
Caryl Communications

Hoboken

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