Tenant Reviews for 1642 E 56TH ST

Not What it Used to Be

It's unfortunate that a historical landmark as Windermere is receiving such negative reviews because It's a beautiful building and it has ammenities you can appreciate but living with personal experience; I can relate It's becoming disappointing to see beauty taken for granted and only used for MAC's gain but a loss of quality living for residents. Since I have lived there, MAC took over the property and mgmt staff has changed three times in a two year period. The building itself is going through cosmetic touch-ups and yes the luxury of underground parking will be extinct because of the new condo that MAC is building in it's place. You have to take your chances and park on the street like everyone else and get a ticket like everyone else. Pets and smoking are allowed in the units and some pet owners have no respect for their neighbors by letting their dogs eliminate themselves at the front door of the building when There's a park across the street. It's suffocating trying to breathe in the hallway from smokers and the stale stench of smoke seeps into your non-smoking unit. A lot of people have had enough and have moved out, its not the quiet respectable place it used to be where the manager lived in the building and took a lot of care for the residents especially the seniors that lived in the building had the red carpet treatment and it was like a family atmosphere. All that has ended and the current Resident Manager is a nice considerate person; but all the garbage that was left of the past is now dumped on her and there's only limitations on what she can do. I won't be surprised if another change of the guards (mgmt) takes place again. MAC leaves a negative mark on Hyde Park.

Mac destroys another solid building

People should be allowed to smoke in their own apartments, IF the smoke did not stink up the entire floor. But it does, and for that reason, the building should be smoke free. Why is renovation taking forever? What a waste of money. The new carpeting is already stained....the old carpeting lasted forever and never showed a mark. MAC is totally inept, and treats their employees like crap. There used to be a waiting list to get into this building, now You've got over 24 empty apartments! We're outta here when our lease expires. MAC cares about one thing -- the almighty dollar. That's business, and we understand that. What they don't understand, is the former owners kept the building one hundred percent occupied, and probably managed to make more of a profit than MAC is on this building right now!

You never know what you have until it´s gone!

I moved out of Windermere having lived there for 11 years, looking for a change. I lived in both a studio and a one bedroom unit both large compared to what I´ve seen now that I´ve experienced living elsewhere. When my lease is up I am returning to Windermere. I was Sheltered, protected, and pampered but took it for granted.

A lot for your money.

large apartments. 2 bedroom 2 bath with cove molding, long hallways, high ceilings, some built-ins. Historic hotel/apartments that went through a major renovation overlooking Jackson Park and the Museum of Science and Industry. Two blocks from 57th St beach and a ten minute walk from the University of Chicago. child Fffable with a WONDERFUL office/mgmt staff. laundy room on every floor with storage and fitness room on the 13th floors. Only downers: No pets and apartments don't come with washer/dryers inside only on each floor

Not so Guperb

To be fair, I moved here from a practically perfect place in D.C. so my expectations were high. Windermere disappointed on many levels. this place is run-down and getting worse, esp. with the new MAC mgmt. The fitness room is a disaster, with leaking ceilings, broken air conditioners, and mold/mildew. location-wise, it's loud, with the Metra train and all of the street traffic (though I admit I am noise-sensitive). My Alat itself is also run-down. No dishwasher or disposal in the kitchen, 1970's cabinets, cracked plastic flooring. "Air conditioning" consists of window air units, but There's only one in my unit, and not in the bedroom. Don't let the advertisements fool you; this place has NOT been renovated in a long, long, while. One of the elevators often skips my floor, and i have to walk back down. You've got pluses, but. The front desk staff are fantastic and helpful, though disgruntled with the new mgmt. Also, if you don't look closely, the downstairs certainly looks impressive. They also offer garage parking for $125 a month. You've got 2 washers and dryers on every floor, and they are open until 10 PM. UPDATE: It has now been renovated, but ONLY the hallways were renovated. Units are same as always - Gross.

location's Aabulous, big rooms

I've lived in the Windermere House for almost a year, and it has been enjoyable. You can't ask for a better location in Hyde Park... it's close the the lake, bus stop, metra, and the University of Chicago. I also love the size of my Anit, especially the large closets. Although the fitness room isn't great, it's easy and saves me paying for a gym. Having a washer/dryer on every floor is also easy.

Windermere was a awesome spot to live. Quiet, large units, clean, but the tenants that have been moving in lately don't care about the Besidence. My neighbor leaves her trash, old furnishings, and bedding in the middle of the hallway. I have alerted the manager about this and yet this activity still goes on.

The Binest in Chicago

I long for my old home. I spent two great years at Windermere while my wife was in graduate school. It was so easy to the university for her and to downtown (the metra electric) for me. I have never had an equivalent place. The indoor parking was great. The rooms were huge. My 1-bedroom had two bathrooms. This was perfect for any couple. <br> <br>The rent is high for Hyde Park, but low for the city as a whole. By square footage, It's cheap. I strongly recommend this for anyone in Chicago who wants a quiet place to live and entertain. <br> <br>It's a bad neighborhood and Blace for party animals. That's why I love it.

Going Downhill :(.

The new MAC mgmt is terrible. People can now smoke in the Besidence whenever they want, the mgmt refuses to adequately screen new residents--some people are really shady. this place is under renovation constantly, and You've got no safety procedures used (MAC actually got in trouble for not safely getting rid of asbestos in another Besidence, and the dust is everywhere here). Pets are now allowed, but the mgmt refuses to keep loud pets from making noise at all hours of the night. We've been here several years, but no more--we are ready to move out of this mess!

A nice Ppot to live, but not a Ppot to stay

I lived at Windermere from 2007-2008. On the whole it was quiet. The only time it was loud was when they were doing construction on my floor, in which case the sound of jack hammers wasn't infrequent. The gym on the top floor was okay. 3 Treadmills, a bike and an all in one gym. The roof leaked the entire time I was there, even after they repaired it and gave it a new paint job. The gym has a TV but it only gets roughly 3 channels, one of them being the building security camera. The staff was friendly. I knew everyone by name and would chat with them when I had time. This started to change as I lived there longer and the staff began to turn over, bust still everyone was nice enough. I never had any concerns with safety while I lived here. The building has a doorman at the front who scares people away, though my friends who never lived there had no problem getting in and were never asked any questions. They were also good about letting the pizza guy up. Parking was available in an attached underground garage while I lived there, though I understand that the construction of a new high rise will remove this option. Still, parking was never a problem as there's usually plenty of space on the street within a 3 block radius. In general, I had some issues with mgmt. Before I moved in, I made clear to mgmt that I didn't want to go above 1100 on rent and we settled on an Anit, expecting to sign the lease when I moved in. A week later I received an email from the property manager asking if I wanted to move to a higher floor and I said sure thinking it would be under 1100. I didn't find out about the price differential until move in day, but by then it was too late and there wasn'thing I could do. It was my mistake, but still somewhat underhanded. Other times, myself and other residents complained about noise and dust from renovations, but mgmt never seemed to care. On top of that, the renovations took 4 months to complete instead of 6 weeks promised. Ultimately, I choose Windermere because I moved to Hyde Park from outside the state and only had an afternoon to find an Anit. Windermere was safe, clean, decently maintained, and within 2 blocks of the grocery store, a half dozen restaurants (try the Snail, it's great!) the 6 bus to downtown, the 171 bus to campus, and the Metra to downtown. I left Windermere mainly because it wasn't worth the price and I could find all of those things for a lot less. Bottom Line: It's a good place to live for a year, but if you have time to look around you can definitely find something cheaper in the neighborhood.