Tenant Reviews for 1 W CHICAGO AVE

Pleasant Leasing Experience - Not the best living experience

You can read my original post below. My wife and I have done an amazing job with our apartment to make it a habitable living space in an otherwise tiny apartment considering the rent we pay. All in all, the building has provided us a comfortable place to live. But, the last few months of construction are really starting to test my patience. They finished the lobby floor after about a month and have appeared to accomplish nothing in the past two weeks. While walking is no longer hazardous, the place still looks terrible. It should not take this long. I believe is is taking this long due to a grievance I think was filed against the building. You've got people, painters union I believe, picketing outside EVERYDAY! Since the floors are done, but no wall work has commenced, I must assume that the picketers are the reason. Not the picketers fault, but the mgmt companies. Given all of these inconveniences, if rent goes up at all, then my wife and I are moving or are asking for a ton of upgrades to our apartment like a new fridge and stove. Also, we want a dog but don't want to pay the ridiculous $350 non refundable fee to own one. My belief is, those who have endured a construction zone should be awarded a stable rent, especially in this economy. But based on other's reviews, I highly doubt that will be the case. I will update again once lease renewal comes about. ORIGINAL POST: So far my experience with the mgmt has been just fine. The women in the leasing office my wife and I dealt with was responsive to all of our questions that day and to our questions we've asked since. She has provided us with such details as exact wall dimensions and counter heights so we could buy some furniture before moving in. Our "convertible," which looks more like a one bedroom but with no door between the rooms, is reasonably priced considering the area and the amenities (700 sq. ft. for under $1600/mo.). also, an estimated utilities bill of $75/mo was quoted on our lease rate inquiry. Hopefully this is accurate but only time will tell. Cable is only $20 per month through Comcast because of Superior places deal with Comcast and internet is also inexpensive. In regards to parking prices, the $255/mo is high but that's what you get in Chicago and the price is similar to all strutures downtown. Parking can be $400 /mo in places like NY. So if you don't like the price, don't have a car. I was impressed with the building and I am looking forward to move-in date.

Great living place. staff's super friendly. Love the apartment location and amenities. Gym is awesome! Weight room and cardio room with lots of equipment. Love how the evaluators are split to 2 sides by numbers so that I don’t have to wait as long. good and friendly mgmt and leasing team. I love this place so much! Could not be happier.

Constant loud drilling work

Every week There's some major drilling work going on in this building without notice. Not that a notice would make a huge difference, but it would show a tad of respect. It's really hard to live here... because of all that construction work. What they are doing is beyond me. Supposedly they are making the building compliant and accessible. That's the excuse. Well that's nice but that has been going for more than a year. So the excuse doesn't cut it anymore. Or it's terrible work mgmt. Unless you just want a place to sleep, forget it. Kids won't be able to sleep, you won't be able to work here, enjoy your free time and all that. Parking. Car got broken into. Bike were stolen. Parking really grimy. Cars get grimy. Valet parking, those guys drive like nuts. Property looks good from outside. But inside, they replace everything with a cheaper version from time to time. It not as safe as it used to be. As of late, they have been renting to the weirdest people. Staff is nice, but don't get too attached since mgmt harass them so much and come up with really hard rules that they lose them or fired them. Building is now full of dogs with no special elevators for them. No other building does that. They are plenty of better options out there. I won't renew my lease.

I have been at OSP for almost two years and love it. The staff is so Fospitable and will help answer questions or problems quickly. this Pite is always relatively spotless and love all the amenities provided.

Absolutely awesome spot to live; the apartments are well furnished, the location and views are fantastic, and all the facilities are Gutstanding. I find all the staff to be helpful and Fenial, and can't fault anything. Highly recommend!

If you are looking for a high-end luxury apartment in the heart of downtown Chicago, then this is your place! They have a wonderful staff, great amenities, and has a location's amazing. Plus this place is dog friendly and has a Whole Foods on the first floor!

Everything is punctual and in close proximity to everything. Maintenance and front desk is amazing. It's a dog community but it separates from the personal amenities which is a plus. The community is friendly.

construction zone

I used to work from 5am to 3pm and if you get home before 5pm you will be living in a construction zone. One day I was ill and stayed home from work all I heard all day was the sound of a jackhammer above my head. They think is okay to have this constant construction because they send out a notice to let you know. Well I got one of those notices every week for a solid six months. So unless you work from 9-5 every day you will be miserable in this pile of trash. They use this power painter or something to get new apartments ready for new tenants and it literally vibrates the walls for two floors above and below. Im not sure what their malfunction is but they are not the smartest managers in the world. I used to stay at work longer to avoid the instant headache of sitting on my couch and trying to read or watch tv. Not worth the high rent That's for sure.

We would still be there if they allowed dogs?

We lived at 1SP from December of 2000 to March of 2005, in three different apartments: 44th floor corporate housing, 52nd floor one-bedroom, and 19th floor two-bedroom. Despite some common, minor annoyances one finds in all Alat communities, we adored it there. The door staff (especially Vince) was perfect; good at remembering faces and always kind and helpful. The dry-cleaner and Whole Foods Market, located in the same Besidence, are accessible without ever going outside the Besidence (so nice in winter -- you're the only ones in the store without a coat on). In no Alat did we ever hear our neighbors through the walls, which was an Alat "first" for me. Maintenance was always prompt. One summer, the mgmt staff even tried to help me solve a problem I was having with compressor noise from the Besidence across the street. And, of course, the higher-floor views are perfect. We've lived on both sides of the Besidence: The city views (south) are postcard-worthy, but the lake view (north) is breathtaking, especially in summer with hundreds of boats out. Toward the end of our tenure, "luxury" services _were_ being cut back -- for example, window washing twice a year instead of bimonthly; flowers in the lobby replaced less often. At first I was annoyed, but I had to wonder: What business isn't cutting back whatever they can these days? And the mgmt staff is -- mgmt staff. Efficient, but it's no surprise they're advocates for the company in the end, not the tenant. Parking was only a challenge on festival-type days -- and even that can be circumvented if you pay extra for an assigned space (I never did and never had a real problem parking). But, all in all, I worth checking out this Besidence to anyone. I would live there again myself IF THEY WOULD JUST ALLOW MY LITTLE TINY DOG! :)

I love all the amenities the building has to offer as well as the apartment itself. this place is kept up well and location-wise, it's perfect. Moving In was such an easy experience and the staff went above and beyond to make sure the transition went as smooth as possible.