I think it s a great apartment to have for the price. My girlfriend and I moved here straight out of college and its been really seamless. I d recommend it to anyone looking to live in a vibrant neighborhood. There s a ton of bars and restaurants close by.
Pros:
-close to the beach
-shopping
-night life
-great rental price
-public transit
Cons
-old building
-Parking sucks
-elevators are really slow
-tiny toilet
Amazing location that's close to everything. The amenities leave something to be desired, but when everything is working properly, you can't beat the price. Gorgeous lake views, incredible roof deck.
Amazing location- 5 min walk for the CTA Red line, Jewel, Walgreens and CVS. The building has a fitness center and a rooftop with a beautiful view. Staff are very friendly and always willing to help.
Really great apartment! Lovely staff and tight-knit community feel. Effective price for the location
I actually ended up blindly renting my apartment here based on price alone as I relocated here for work in the city & boy was I surprised when I showed up and saw how amazing the location is!! It's a 30-40 minute walk from the heart of the city, 15 minute walk to the lakefront, AND also right next to a bunch of amazing restaurants, bars & a Jewel Osco that's a 5 minute walk away.
Not only is the location top knotch, but the staff is absolutely incredible! I moved here without knowing anyone at all & they have been so helpful in letting me know what spots are popping in the city & helping me become a true Chicagoan. Prior to Covid, management would always host events at the bars nearby where we would get to mingle with residents in our building & their sister properties as well. Not to mention that all drinks would be free!
The rooftop has an amazing view of both the city & the lake and is a really cathartic space. They also have a gym within the apartment & a bike closet.
You won't find a better priced apartment or better overall experience in this neighborhood anywhere else!
Love this building! A gem in the middle of Gold Coast. The units are renovated but still have the personality and charm of more classic architecture. The building has everything one would need including updated gym and rooftop is beautiful with one of the best views of the lake. Above all, the location is amazing!
We just re-signed for our 3rd year!
Awesome location in the heart of the Gold Coast within walking distance of the CTA Red Line, grocery stores, restaurants, bars, shopping you name it! I moved here from Florida and didn t know much about Chicago neighborhoods, but I LOVE this area!
Although the building itself is a bit older, it is very well kept and always super clean. Renovations were recently done on the elevators and there have been virtually no problems since. Between the key fob operated front doors and doorman on duty every evening, the building always feels safe. Awesome rooftop area with lounge chairs, grills, and a beautiful view of the city and lake! Really nice fitness room in the basement with a great variety of equipment (even a new Peloton!). While I do wish there was in-unit laundry, there is a large laundry room in the basement as well. I love our 2 bedroom/2 bathroom unit; the perfect size, no maintenance problems, always nice and warm in the winter (again, Florida, so that s a big deal!), and an amazing view of the city/John Hancock building outside our window.
Everyone from the leasing office to the doorman to the maintenance staff to the cleaning team are super nice and always greet you with a smile. We definitely feel at home here :)
Everything is so clean and tidy. Staff members are great and the building and its view is amazing!
This complex is located in an amazing location. You reallly cant beat the neighborhood. The maintenance staff always does same day service on all repairs. You really can't beat the location for the price they charge you.
I've lived here for 3 years, so I've seen it all when it comes to the bad. From constantly broken elevators to incidents involving police and guns outside, to cockroaches, plumbing issues and feces in the trashroom. The worst part is that since the building is old, there is neverending construction, so many days it feels like living on a construction site, with extremely loud drilling shaking the walls. The building management changes often and they change the rules too - some people get rent extensions, others don't, they switch around the duration of the rent period too, to keep increasing the price. Construction and renovation is neverending, so get ready to listen to drilling sounds on and off for weeks. The street is very loud too with Hang Uppe next door and a retirement home down the street, so ambulance sirens are a constant occurrence. Also, the walls in the apartments are paper thin. The neighbors will be able to hear every word said (make sure you don't say your SSN out loud), and if you end up with neighbors who like to party or have a baby, you better invest into good ear plugs or move. During winter the heating is managed centrally and the management turns it on only for a couple of hours during the day, to save money, so most of the time the windows are frosted over and room temperature stays at around 60. I've tried asking to increase the heating, but the management always came up with some excuse, and in the end I had to get a space heater and just bundle up. When it comes to the good, the location is a plus, as the apartments are close to the el and downtown. The service and security staff in the building are the best - they are very personable people, friendly and helpful. I've never had a package disappear. The view is amazing and the apartments are sunny. Overall, it's a manageable place for a good price, but your experience really depends on how lucky you get with the neighbors and how well you can handle noise.
Nightmare on Elm Street
I needed a place in a pinch and got what I deserved: Pinched.
Management is nice enough until you decide you're leaving. Trying to coordinate a move-out was almost impossible; the manager passive-aggressively emailed me about all of her appointments she had booked to confirm my movers' arrival an hour after they had arrived and after I sent her four emails confirming their arrival time in the weeks prior to the move. The best part of this situation? The leasing office is "open" at 10AM and a maintenance worker (side note - the gentlemen working maintenance at this building are amazing and deserve a better place to work) called me at 10:15AM to ask to let the movers into my apartment because NO ONE WAS IN THE OFFICE YET. Oh, and you can only reserve the elevator for a move-out for a two-hour increment, which even the movers thought was ridiculous. Other piece of info you may want: The leasing office is attached to the package room and the managers decide if they feel like showing up to work, so if you want to wait forever to get a package that's sitting in the room for three days, this is the place for you!
Amenities Excluded: A bathroom fan, air conditioning (you have to buy a unit or rent one from them and install it yourself), and a microwave.
Amenities Included: A stairwell that constantly has the aroma of strong bleach mixed with cheap weed; two elevators that while only stopping on 18 floors take an average of 20 minutes to reach you; overpaying to be across from a bookstore and a pizza place in a city where public transit is a thing; loud music next door at all hours of the night; no communication from management about when they're doing construction in the building, so loud drill noises at all hours of the day; emotionally immature managers that are too afraid to call you on the phone; AND for the grand finale...YOUR BATHROOM MIRROR MIGHT ELECTROCUTE YOU!!! The wiring in the mirror is old and no one warned me about this; I got shocked twice and my mother was shocked three times.
Living here is a living nightmare.
Unbeatable location with a personable staff that makes 14 West Elm instantly feel like home. Everything you could need is within a two block radius in one of the safest in Chicago!
Lived here for the past year. Very great apartment, especially for the price and location. Staff is very nice and always accommodating.
looking for a one bedroom apartment, this building immediately caught my attention. While this is an older building, and it shows in some place, the staff has truly made the living experience great. Whenever I have a question, request, or something needs fixing, they are always super quick to assist and with a smile. The common areas (gym, laundry, etc.) are always very clean as well which is much appreciated. Some other reviews have spoken on the nose levels, being next to a popular late night bar and alley. I will say if my window is open I will hear any yelling or activities going on in the area. With a closed window and fan, it has never kept me up. However it does seem various garbage men come almost every day which has woken me up in the morning despite a closed window. All in all, I think this is a perfect starter type apartment. I would not see myself living here long term as I would prefer a new building, larger kitchen and other in-unit amenities. But for a 1 bedroom apartment in Gold Coast for one in their 20s, it is perfect and I highly recommend.
Lived here for a year. Roof deck is nice. It's a very old building and the elevators are always slow or broken down. Weekends are very loud between the scene at Division St and the Hangge Uppe next door.
We've lived here for one year now and we've loved it. Our unit is beautiful - I gasped the first time we walked in and saw the high ceilings, white everything, and light pouring in the big windows. And since the building allows using nails (provided you fill them later), we've been able to make our space even more homey. We love having bike storage and a gym, and we LOVE our rooftop deck. Trash, recycling, and mail are made easy. Andrew in the office is a great guy and puts you at ease during the move-in process. Garcia from maintainance has been the bomb with the repairs we've needed - it's always been done the same day. We've only been able to hear our neighbors like twice. It's an old building, so you will have things like some chips in the paint or a noisy radiator, but for us it's been worth the charm. Biggest 3 drawbacks to us are they don't allow dogs, there's no on-site parking, and there's no storage in the basement or anything. But you also can't beat this location! Right down the street from Jewel and now Aldi, tons of restaurants, a quick walk to the Moody campus if you're a student there, and a very quick walk to the Mag Mile and Water Tower Place. Certainly shop around for the best option for you, but keep this one on the short list.
I have been living here for 5 months now and I absolutely LOVE it. I can't believe how centrally located it is - it's close to basically everything. There are 2 large supermarkets, a good mix of bars and restaurants, the CTA red line, retail like Starbucks, CVS and Walgreen's - and it's all within 3 blocks.
The building itself is very charming and feels homey as you come in. On the inside, it's very well maintained and I believe all apartments have hardwood-floors which are gorgeous. The leasing officers have been very helpful and thoughtful (shout out to Olivia!). The doormen, Greg and Lennard, are helpful and know everyone in the building. They really go that extra mile for you. Everyone that I've met in the building so far has been very welcoming and within a couple weeks I've met all my neighbors on my floor.
If you want to live in downtown Chicago, in a beautiful vintage building, close to all amenities and 1 block from the lake but still pay a fair price: look no further than 14 W Elm!
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