Tenant Reviews for 3450 N LAKE SHORE DR

Hawthorne House is just what I wanted. Here the skinny after living here nine months. Quietude -I don't hear my neighbors above, below, or either side of me. Public transportation with taxis & the 146 & 135 loop express bus at my front door. A view of Belmont Harbor with a corner apartment that looks north & east. 24 house door staff who quickly learned my name & I learned theirs. A building run like a condo, but a rental A helpful and friendly receiving room and leasing office staff. I just signed a letter of intent to renew for another year.

Hawthorne House Apartments.

This place is amazing. Best staff out there. I just moved in a month and a half ago from Texas and at first thought it was too expensive. But it is worth every penny. I am very happy with the views, staff, parking, and location to everything. A from this guy

I have lived here for 11 months. It has been a great place to live. Safe and secure. Clean and quiet. I love the location and the building staff has been wonderful. The laundry room is huge and I have never had to wait for a machine. The parking might be expensive, but they give the best customer service. I moved in on one of their deals so I'll have to leave as they are now raising my rent back up to market value, and this raise of $165 / month is too much. But a summer with a roof top pool, great exercise room and beautiful building was worth it.

I moved in at the end of April to a small 2 bedroom unit from a courtyard building off of Addision. I LOVE IT! Everything is spectacular! The management is one of the best I've seen. They handle things quickly and are pleasent to deal with. The door personnel know your name within days of moving in. Positives: -Management/Maintenance/Door personnel are excellent. -Spectacular views and VERY quiet units -Pool & Roof deck on 41st floor -Conveniently located Not so Positives: -Main elevators don't go to laundry room, so you are reliant on the frieght elevators and with one out currently undergoing modernization you might have to take the stairs. Get over it and get some damn exercise! -Elevators are sometimes slow. But they are working on it! -Yes, the 2 pipe system sucks but it's better than other buildings in the area. All in all, the "not so positives" are being worked on and this building is the place to be! -RKeller

The building was constructed in 1967/8 and within it's first two years of operation had two fatal fires, one of which burned out an entire floor killing 4 people, I believe. I was not suprised to hear of another fire last week. The funny thing is that, the news reporter claimed that an evacuation was not necessary. When I lived there 10 years ago, they did not have any way to evacuate people other than going door to door. With 456 apartments that would be quite a task. Their fire panel was nothing more than a wall decoration because it had no audible alarms on the floors. I would be shocked if they upgraded it since then. The Heating and Air System is an OLD 2 pipe system which means you either have air or heat and city code dicitates you have heat after a certain date. Solution: There are other choices for places to live that have sprinklers and 4 pipe Heating and Air Systems for around the same price. Is the view worth your life?

Read the discussion board following the article about the fire in Hawthorne House on 1-07-11. The tenant accounts of the fire and building preparedness are true. http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2011/01/high-rise-fire-leaves-at-least-3-injured.html

I moved in to Hawthorne House in 2009 after looking around the place with one of the female sales ladies. I was impressed. The views are spectacular and really that's all you are paying for her. Management Staff: Are incompetent and 1 of the guys is generally very rude. They look bothered when you go in to speak with them. Elevators: Good luck that's all i'll say. Rent: Goes up by $150 after first year as everyone says. Heat and A/C: Be prepared to sweat like never before at the end of summer when they turn the heat. I spoke to countless people in the building who all had complained to the management staff to switch it back to A/C because of the heat wave. However we just get told nothing can be done. GOOD POINTS: Shirley in the receiving room. Door people are friendly. Maintenance staff are friendly. And of course the amazing views you get! Personally I'd find somewhere else before staying there ever again. If the management staff were more competent and polite i think i might think differently.

I've lived in no fewer than 4 apartments in and around the Lakeview area in the past handful of years and I have to say, Hawthorne House has been my happiest living thus far. First, the residents range from young and old, all colors all backgrounds. My guests have always noted how happy everyone seems here, whether holding a door or elevator for someone, to being considerate in the common areas for noise and such. Second, the grounds are meticulously maintained, interior and exterior. Third, being an older construction, this building offers GREAT amenities, including the full gym (with AMAZING views of the lake and city), the party room, the sun deck, and of course the awesome pool with nearly 360 rooftop view of the city. I have lived in other residences with similar amenities, but never found myself using them.....and I get my use out of these! I think I felt somewhat unwelcome or "under the watchful eye" when I lived at other residences as it pertained to using the amenities...but not here. I actually feel encouraged to utilize everything available to me. Also, the laundry room is HUGE, and I have never found myself without a washer or dryer to complete my laundry tasks. My guests always comment on my amazing view, (I look at the city skyline from all windows in my apartment), the gracious tenants, and the grounds being kept so nice when they visit. Visitor parking is SO cheap for overnight parties and such ($21 bucks!) and street parking is FREE east of Broadway, so this is never an issue (except of course for those occasional Cubs games or big party nights out in the Boystown area). The rental office staff has been nothing but accommodating and pleasant. My only criticism here is, they tend to slant the current elevator situation as "a-typical" when Ive overheard them touring new prospective tenants.....when we all know the elevators have been a chronic problem all year. But, on the upside, they're nearly complete on renovating them, and then it (hopefully ) will be all back to a easier commute up and down the building. Maintence staff is also prompt and very very considerate of timeliness of requests. Shirley, in the receiving area is a godsend - delivering everyone's packages personally DAILY, so that nothing gets missed! And of course, the front door staff - Ive lived at other residences where they just buzz everyone in, resulting in a bunch of restaurant fliers all over the building, or non-tenants wandering the halls for no good reason. Not here - the front door staff is mindful of everyone coming in and out. So in closing, my only issue is the slow elevators in the building, and that is being addressed. In the past year we've seen lots of change, including a VERY important upgrade to the floor-by-floor fire warning system, which makes me A LOT more comfortable after last year's fire. Bottom line....if I continue to live in Chicago, I will continue to stay at Hawthorne House....unless the rent gets too expensive, of course.

Quite honestly, this is one of the best places I have ever rented from. The staff is AMAZING. The Management company not only exudes a positive atmosphere, but encourages tenants to share their opinions on how to make the place a better "home" for everyone. I've lived here for roughly two years, and I look forward to staying even longer. Not only is this place CLEAN, but they are constantly improving. I strongly encourage everyone to explore this property. The pool is ROCKSTAR, and the views are AMAZING. NOT TO MENTION, I gave up my car roughly one year ago because of the stellar transportation options available (aka: ZIPCAR in house, and the bus stops out front). I AM HAPPY TO CALL HAWTHORNE HOUSE HOME. -Sincerely, N. Haubrich