The Penn Plaza East complex takes its name for its location near Penn Station in Newark, New Jersey. Fronting Raymond Boulevard on the banks of the Passaic River, the two office buildings were constructed during a period in the late 1980s and early 1990s when they and numerous postmodern skyscrapers were built near the station and Gateway Center. While others went up between the station and traditional Downtown Newark, Penn Plaza East is on the Ironbound, or east, side of the major transportation hub.