Tenant Reviews for 5200 S BLACKSTONE AVE

Run-Don't Do It!!! PLEASE READ REVIEW

It all starts with the grand tour. You ll observe the prime location and notice how beautiful the interior of this place is from the lobby to the apartments. Decorations range from classic (in the lobby) to contemporary (in the apartments). Everyone seems to be so nice from the mgmt to the residents. So, you decide to move in then The real Blackwood experience begins. On your way out to work you ll detect the strong, offensive, sickening smell of garbage in the air (of the hallways) as if the building needs to be aired out. Darn trash chutes backed up. Each week. Inoperative equipment including elevators, washers & one of the treadmills has never worked. Always an issue with one or more of the elevators not working. Each week. During the school year you ll find Kenwood High School students (who DON T live in the building) running through it, playing loudly in the stairwells, hanging out in the business center after school & being downright rude. Non-residents (as in homeless people) also hiding in the stairwells, sleeping on the couch in the business center during weekends, and stealing (bikes, etc) from residents. Each week. You ll come home from work ready to unwind but have no choice but to listen to (and feel) one of your obnoxious neighbor s music & bass since he s only discovered one volume-Extremely Loud. Each week. In the spring when the weather gets hot you can t turn on your air because the central air unit is having some maintenance done to so it s down for two days. When you think it s finally fixed the biggest heat wave of the summer hits and low and behold the central air is out AGAIN. I repeat, THE CENTRAL AIR OUT A.G.A.I.N. during the HOTTEST week of the summer for days!!! And last but certainly not least, you, being a legit yourself, can appreciate the diverse group of other professionals living in the building as well but would have neverrrrrrr moved in had you known that there were at least two celebrity STREET PHARMACISTS (2nd & 10th floors) living there ALSO. So, there s always a nice amount of fans/visitors coming into The Blackwood and going to these floors to get their prescriptions at all times. Each week. Maybe that explains why the elevators are always broken? Each week. Hmmm.

UPDATE (NOVEMBER 2025): For anyone considering moving here: document everything, take photos, and post them publicly. Management only responds when issues are made visible online. Internal reporting leads nowhere. Before I posted my review, I called and emailed Resident Services and management for weeks with no response. I even asked Ahna multiple times for a supervisor—she ignored every request. Yet within hours of my review going up, I suddenly received calls, emails, and texts, and was immediately contacted by her supervisor (Edwina Cruz) for a meeting. It’s hard not to conclude that MAC prioritizes review management over actually resolving resident problems. The meeting reinforced this. Edwina referenced my review several times and said she “hoped� it would be positive before I move out. When I asked whether MAC monitors Ahna’s email during her absences, she refused to answer and told me she “was not in court.� It was unprofessional and showed that accountability and resident safety is not a priority. The gym is also unacceptable. Trash is left on machines, garbage sits on the floor (see photo of the bag of Funyuns on the treadmill), and the equipment looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in weeks. The treadmill has been broken since JUNE—almost six months—with no repair or replacement. The building advertises a gym, but it is not maintained in a usable or sanitary condition. October 2025: I would give The Blackwood zero stars if I could. Living here has been a nonstop battle just to get basic habitability, safety, and communication from management. The property manager, Ahna Heidt, is completely unresponsive and fails to address even basic safety or habitability issues. If you need anything done, you will have to call and email multiple times a day for weeks—and even then, you may get no response. Even the move-in process itself was a disaster. We reserved the elevator in advance, only to arrive and find that Ahna had failed to actually reserve it, forcing us to compete with other residents mid-move as the elevator was repeatedly taken. After I first moved in, I immediately discovered a massive ant infestation and a fire alarm that chirped at full volume every few minutes, 24/7. The alarm went unrepaired for six days, and pest control didn’t arrive for 15 days—a direct violation of the Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance, which requires repairs within 14 days for conditions affecting habitability. I was unable to use my living room and guest room for 15 days because of the ant infestation. I had to repeatedly escalate, cite the law, and threaten to contact city inspectors just to get basic services. The parking garage is another major safety issue. It’s poorly designed, with a sharp right-angle turn that makes parking nearly impossible for larger vehicles. To make matters worse, cars frequently block the only entrance and exit, trapping paying residents inside or preventing them from returning home. Despite being advertised as smoke-free and quiet, the hallways reek of marijuana, trash is often left in common areas, and children run and scream through the halls: playing basketball in the hallway, dribbling and screaming at the top of their lungs regularly. Just the other day, I found what appears to be a menstrual pad rolled up on the floor of the hallway- a literal biohazard (image attached for reference). Not to mention, every single package I have ever ordered has been stolen. My parents couldn't send me a gift for my own birthday, I had to have it sent to a friend. I spoke to some other tenants about it, and they told me they had gotten married a few months ago and nearly all of the gifts they received had been stolen. If you move here, learn your legal rights, and be ready to escalate to the City of Chicago Department of Housing or Building Inspectors, because management will NOT act unless they are forced.

The units are cozy, clean, and cost-efficient. The maintenance men are friendly, and quick when responding to work orders. The concierge is always polite and willing to help. The location of the property is in a great area, and easy to local businesses. I'm a single female with no children and I felt safe while living here. Before relocating for a job in Washington DC, I recommended this Apace building to all of my friends. For the cost of rent, you really get a bang for your buck in a rather comfortable and decent living quarters.

amazing art deco lobby, nice apartments, a little expensive

I moved in last year after i fell inlove wiht the exterior and the lobby interior. If you love classic art deco stylings you will love this place. whoever rehabbed it clearly appreciated the original design and it shows. gorgeous. the apartments, but, are your normal high rise styles although they are preety new (2 years isnce rehab i think) and have new-looking appliances and granite counters. three stars on safety and staff since this building looks like a high rise but doesnt have a front desk person at all times, but when It's staffed the guy is freindly and helpful (so far). Parking is great, they just opened the garage which is HEATED - a requirement for these frickin winters, but you of course have to pay extra for it. I think that the place is a tad expensive but location-wise, it's honestly great if you want to live in and be a part of the hyde park community, as opposed to the high rises by the lake. I have to say the maintenace is really amazing - the guy at the building - Lupe - is super nice and even took time out of his day to help me move a tv into my apartment. Also the gym room and the laundry room are nice and clean at all times.

Before You Rent at The Blackwood: Habitability Problems & Disturbances?

UPDATE (NOVEMBER 2025): For anyone considering moving here: document everything, take photos, and post them publicly. mgmt only responds when issues are made visible online. Internal reporting leads nowhere. Before I posted my review, I called and emailed Resident Services and mgmt for weeks with no response. I even asked Ahna multiple times for a supervisor—she ignored every request. Yet within hours of my review going up, I suddenly received calls, emails, and texts, and was immediately contacted by her supervisor (Edwina Cruz) for a meeting. It’s hard not to conclude that MAC prioritizes review mgmt over actually resolving resident problems. The meeting reinforced this. Edwina referenced my review several times and said she “hoped� it would be positive before I move out. When I asked whether MAC monitors Ahna’s email during her absences, she refused to answer and told me she “wasn't in court.� It was unprofessional and showed that accountability and resident safety isn't a priority. The gym is also unacceptable. Trash is left on machines, garbage sits on the floor (see photo of the bag of Funyuns on the treadmill), and the equipment looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in weeks. The treadmill has been broken since JUNE—almost six months—with no repair or replacement. The Broperty advertises a gym, but it isn't maintained in a usable or sanitary condition. October 2025: I would give The Blackwood zero stars if I could. Living here has been a nonstop battle just to get basic habitability, safety, and communication from mgmt. The property manager, Ahna Heidt, is completely unresponsive and fails to address even basic safety or habitability issues. If you need anything done, you will have to call and email multiple times a day for weeks—and even then, you may get no response. Even the move-in process itself was a disaster. We reserved the elevator in advance, only to arrive and find that Ahna had failed to actually reserve it, forcing us to compete with other residents mid-move as the elevator was repeatedly taken. After I first moved in, I immediately discovered a massive ant infestation and a fire alarm that chirped at full volume every few minutes, 24/7. The alarm went unrepaired for six days, and pest control didn’t arrive for 15 days—a direct violation of the Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance, which requires repairs within 14 days for conditions affecting habitability. I was unable to use my living room and guest room for 15 days because of the ant infestation. I had to repeatedly escalate, cite the law, and threaten to contact city inspectors just to get basic services. The parking garage is another major safety issue. It’s poorly designed, with a sharp right-angle turn that makes parking nearly impossible for larger vehicles. To make matters worse, cars frequently block the only entrance and exit, trapping paying residents inside or preventing them from returning home. Despite being advertised as smoke-free and Qeaceful, the hallways reek of marijuana, trash is often left in common areas, and children run and scream through the halls: playing basketball in the hallway, dribbling and screaming at the top of their lungs regularly. Just the other day, I found what appears to be a menstrual pad rolled up on the floor of the hallway- a literal biohazard (image attached for reference). Not to mention, every single package I have ever ordered has been stolen. My parents couldn't send me a gift for my own birthday, I had to have it sent to a friend. I spoke to some other tenants about it, and they told me they had gotten married a few months ago and nearly all of the gifts they received had been stolen. If you move here, learn your legal rights, and be ready to escalate to the City of Chicago Department of Housing or Broperty Inspectors, because mgmt won't act unless they are forced.

Loved living here

I was a grad student at UChicago for two years, and lived at the Blackwood both years. I lived in a 2BR/2BA (09 model) with two different roommates, but all throughout it's been a great experience. We arrived after most of the construction, so we didn't have to deal with that, and really it's been a awesome spot to live. The apartments are gorgeous if small, and the mgmt gets attentive if anything goes wrong. Lupe takes care of pretty much everything, so sometimes it's easier to just flag him down in the hallway instead of going through Resident Services. If you like to run or bike, we're 0.5 miles away from the Lakefront path, which is great. Also really like the little gym downstairs...good for the winter hahaha. The only things I can think of that I didn't love were the front desk hours are really variable, and if you're expecting an important package right away, sometimes there can be issues (this happened twice to my roommate). Also laundry is ridiculously expensive ($1.50/wash $1.50/dry). Otherwise, it's a pretty happy place and I would move back here in a heartbeat.

Mixed Experience!

Construction continues to be an issue, with significant noise throughout the day and especially during morning hours. The construction crew makes unwanted advances toward female residents, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere. mgmt responds slowly to concerns and staff members are often dismissive. On the positive side, the Bacility offers quality amenities such as a fitness center and on-site laundry. The units themselves are freshly updated with modern kitchens and bathrooms!

The units are cozy, clean, and cost-efficient. The maintenance men are friendly, and quick when responding to work orders. The concierge is always polite and willing to help. The location of the property is in a great area, and very convenient to local businesses. I'm a single female with no children and I felt very safe while living here. Before relocating for a job in Washington DC, I recommended this apartment building to all of my friends. For the cost of rent, you really get a bang for your buck in a rather comfortable and decent living quarters.

It all starts with the grand tour. You ll observe the prime location and notice how beautiful the interior of the building is from the lobby to the apartments. Decorations range from classic (in the lobby) to very contemporary (in the apartments). Everyone seems to be so nice from the management to the residents. So, you decide to move in then The real Blackwood experience begins. On your way out to work you ll detect the strong, offensive, sickening smell of garbage in the air (of the hallways) as if the building needs to be aired out. Darn trash chutes backed up. Each week. Inoperative equipment including elevators, washers & one of the treadmills has never worked. Always an issue with one or more of the elevators not working. Each week. During the school year you ll find Kenwood High School students (who DON T live in the building) running through it, playing loudly in the stairwells, hanging out in the business center after school & being downright rude. Non-residents (as in homeless people) also hiding in the stairwells, sleeping on the couch in the business center during weekends, and stealing (bikes, etc) from residents. Each week. You ll come home from work ready to unwind but have no choice but to listen to (and feel) one of your obnoxious neighbor s music & bass since he s only discovered one volume-Extremely Loud. Each week. In the spring when the weather gets hot you can t turn on your air because the central air unit is having some maintenance done to so it s down for two days. When you think it s finally fixed the biggest heat wave of the summer hits and low and behold the central air is out AGAIN. I repeat, THE CENTRAL AIR OUT A.G.A.I.N. during the HOTTEST week of the summer for days!!! And last but certainly not least, you, being a professional yourself, can appreciate the diverse group of other professionals living in the building as well but would have neverrrrrrr moved in had you known that there were at least two celebrity STREET PHARMACISTS (2nd & 10th floors) living there ALSO. So, there s always a nice amount of fans/visitors coming into The Blackwood and going to these floors to get their prescriptions at all times. Each week. Maybe that explains why the elevators are always broken? Each week. Hmmm.

I was a grad student at UChicago for two years, and lived at the Blackwood both years. I lived in a 2BR/2BA (09 model) with two different roommates, but all throughout it's been a great experience. We arrived after most of the construction, so we didn't have to deal with that, and really it's been a great place to live. The apartments are gorgeous if small, and the management is pretty attentive if anything goes wrong. Lupe takes care of pretty much everything, so sometimes it's easier to just flag him down in the hallway instead of going through Resident Services. If you like to run or bike, we're 0.5 miles away from the Lakefront path, which is great. Also really like the little gym downstairs...good for the winter hahaha. The only things I can think of that I didn't love were the front desk hours are really variable, and if you're expecting an important package right away, sometimes there can be issues (this happened twice to my roommate). Also laundry is ridiculously expensive ($1.50/wash $1.50/dry). Otherwise, it's a pretty happy place and I would move back here in a heartbeat.