1225 Old Town Apartments

My boyfriend and I lived here over the past year and absolutely loved it. I strongly believe this is the best location in the city to live! Our apartment was small and definitely pricey, but management, qualities, amenities, and location made it worth it!

Great location. Super nice staff. Overpriced for overall quality of unit.

A friend of mine lives in the building and asked me to post this.
Management is raising rents $ 400+ per month (that’s ~15−20%) for many existing tenants trying to renew their lease and as a result are pushing people out of the building. Do you really want to live in a building that treats their tenants that way?
The apartments are really nice at first glance but it’s the kind of place that’s only nice because it’s new. The appliances are all low grade, the counters and cabinets are low quality and the floors cheap fake wood.
On the plus side, the door staff and engineers are fantastic. It’s a nice place to live but it’s already overpriced.

Totally happy with this place and happy to call it home. Renewed my lease for another year. Excellent staff. Immediate response time with repairs. Clean building. Fun building sponsored parties.

Loved living at 1225 Old Town!
Apartment was beautiful.
Staff was always friendly!
Management was fantastic.
Bobbie, Jillian and Nathan were so kind!
Maintenance team was always responsive.
Never went to any community events but there were certainly plenty scheduled that were relevant and added value!
Highly recommend living here if you are considering it.

I lived at 1225 Old Town for about 2 and ½ years and enjoyed my time there. I moved only because I decided to buy a condo instead of renting. The building is newer construction and everything in my apartment worked well. A few minor repairs were done promptly and professionally by the building maintenance staff with minimum hassle. The staff at reception are great, friendly and very helpful. It is great to have package delivery taken care of by reception and things you order stored and handed to you. The maintenance staff were always timely and professional. The current management staff are clearly trying hard to do a great job and they are friendly and professional. The building does allow pets and you should, of course, check out the appliances and HVAC that come with your apartment to make sure you are happy with the type provided. For me the appliances worked well and overall I was happy with the facilities. I really enjoyed the location on Wells Street in Old Town, and my new condo is also in Old Town. This is a great neighborhood and has much to offer. The building has a pool, hot tub, 11^th floor deck with grills, and common rooms to use. There is a bike storage room and also an exercise room that I found very handy and well equipped. Indoor parking is available for a fee, and having the Plum Market in the same building is very convenient.

Rating: If I could do half stars, I’d rock a solid 2.5.
I lived at 1225 for 15 months (having moved out as of 7÷1÷2014). I moved there from another city — first time in Chicago. I was woo’d by the ‘newness’ of the complex and its amenities (aka suckered in by the new big city feel).
PROS:
— The door folks are great, John is awesome.
— The maintenance folks were aways kind and timely whenever I had an issue
— Built in the past few years
— Nice amenities (theater, demo kitchen, pool, hot tub, grills, gym)
— Great location to Redline /​Bus /​Transit
— Great view (from where I was at — 15^th floor unimpeded view facing West)
CONS:
— Overpriced, probably the most expensive by square ft around
— Management didn’t seem of much help on anything (Nathan was helpful, but there’s only so much he could do)
— Raised my rent by $ 200 after the 15 month lease (yeah, abt $ 2,200 for a 550 sq ft studio CONVERTIBLE)! So, if you took a loan out for $ 300,000 for 30 years at 5% rate, you’d pay less… yep, sho. nuff. Ouch.
— Floors are faux wood, handles on cabinets /​drawers would always fall off
— I love dogs, but not when they constantly urinate all over the front of a ‘luxury’ apt complex
— Again, I love dogs, but not when they bark like broken records for hours at a time or EVERY time I’m on my balcony when you live next door to me and play your music loud like a 90s bass tape remix and management does nothing about it, even after multiple complaints and could care less… #runonsentence
— Pool is great, but was never heated (as advertised) the first summer (cooold) and there’s VERY limited space around it.
— Hot tub was shut down last year bc it was pretty much deemed unsanitary, this year — it’s still not filled.
— Most of the residents were cool, it was rare I met anyone that was a prick — but I did feel this sense of ‘hey look at me’ or egotism
— The damn printer NEVER worked, even after numerous reports. Reminded me of Office Space, I wanted to demolish that PC Loadlettering paperweight.
There ya have it, take it for what it’s worth. I moved about 2 blocks over and got a place 35% larger for $ 400 less w/​just older amenities on La Salle Drive.

While I agree with recent posts that the door staff and engineers are excellent and it sounds like the newer Management Group is now actually doing their job… they cannot make up for the simple fact that the building was POORLY constructed with SUBPAR materials, appliances ect…
Let’s start with day one of moving in. Our carpet was stained with toothpaste, handles on closets and kitchen drawers are falling off when you pull open, the closet door falls off the track, there are no light fixtures except in the bathrooms/​kitchen/​hall, the floor base boards are broken in some spots, stained counter tops, melted counter tops in some spots, the blinds in one bedroom did not go up and the blinds in another bedroom would not go all the way down… just to name a few things. When you view the units they show you a perfect never lived in unit. It’s kind of like bait and switch.
Moving on to Heating and Cooling: Week one of moving in our air conditioner broke. Called maintenance they came to fix it. Within the very next week it broke again. The actual unit was replaced. This went on 8 – 10 times within 3 months. In the end we had multiple new units put in. Nothing the maintenance could do, whoever is in charge purchased poor equipment.
Moving on to the washer and dryer: They both are so loud I felt like I was in my old, low price apartment on the EL line. The washer barely actually washes your clothes. My husband would go for a run, place his clothes in the washer and dryer and they would come out smelling the same from after the run. Yes, his clothes smell really bad after a run but you would think a cycle through the washer would do something. Literally I kid you not, nothing. We also ditched many clothes items because the washer would not distribute the detergent properly and sometimes it would leave marks on your clothes.
Let’s talk Kitchen: There is nothing luxury about it! The stove/​oven get so oddly hot not matter what temp you are cooking at your food comes out smoking. Seriously, actual smoke coming off of your food. And the foods not burnt just smoking hot:) Typically in the oven you need to be extra careful not to burn the bottom of your food. And here is where is gets fun… your fire alarm will go off so you typically will need to cook at all times with the microwave vent on. Overall the appliances and finishes in the kitchen are very cheap and like the washer and dryer the dishwasher is so loud too.
You are told you cannot put your bike on the balcony, rather lock it up in the garage. I can somewhat understand they want the building to have a clean exterior, but then provide some security for the garage. Our bikes were stolen. Not just ours, I know others were as well because the building management reported it. So they knew the issues and did nothing.
Luckily we got out in 6 months due to having to relocate. We were there with the new management but again the building as a whole was poorly constructed. If a corner could be cut it appeared to be done. The main reason I am writing this is I cannot believe the price they charge and the misleading description of the building as upscale or luxury. Location of course is great, everything outside of your actual unit is great when it is working and clean, and of course Plum Market in nice… but do not go in thinking you are living in a luxury place and the units are worth the price. Last piece of advice, ask to see the unit they actually want to put you in!

I recently visited this place to see a friend that lives there. I love going out in Old Town and was curious to see the building. To cold now but the pool and sundeck looks pretty awesome. I really enjoyed the social areas and demo kitchen, perfect for a small group. Pretty impressed with the views and finishes in the apt too. I was expecting junk and was pleasantly surprised. Plum Market is a luxury I imagine everyone loves. I don’t even live that close and I try to go as often as I can because the store is so cool. The front desk people and staff I came across all seem genuinely caring and nice; which has not been the case other places I have been. They keep a nice looking lobby with fireplace too. I looked in the neighborhood years ago and didn’t find the quality I was looking for but these guys are on my shortlist for when my lease is up this year. Everyone spends so much time on the negative. I figured why not take the time to give them a well deserved shout as a cool place! Way to go Old Town, you nailed it!

It’s too bad the old reviews can’t be scrapped, as they do not reflect the new management company AT ALL. Any questionable 1-​, 2-​, or 3-​star reviews this place has gotten was CLEARLY when the old management company (Habitat) was in place. After the buildling sold, the new owners brought in a new management company (Riverstone) that is HEAD AND SHOULDERS above the other. Out with the old and in with the new! What a breath of fresh air!
I won’t waste my time with the many faults of the old company. Rather, I’d like to stress how the new management company is extremely responsive. Here and there I have had to reach out to the new property manager, and I have always found her to be gracious and never in a rush when I needed to express a concern. Jennifer runs a very tight ship – which I LOVE – and is up on everything that is going on in the building. I literally saw her and the office staff member Nathan (love him!) picking up trash from the flower beds in front of our building one day because they care that much! If things are not done right, they are out there making things right. Jennifer is always out on the property, constantly walking around to see which scuffs if any need painting, what things would improve the experience for residents, and has made herself accessible to everyone from Day 1. The old property manager never even left her office. Enough said.
In the past, as some of the old bad reviews reflect, this non-​smoking building had far too many smoking, beer-​pong-​playing 20somethings. No more. The new management company has turned our building into a classy, elegant, building commensurate with the refined nature of Old Town. In fact, 1225 has become Chicago’s new hotspot for celebrities, with my neighbors including members from Chicago Fire soccer, a certain ABC network drama, an HBO series regular, various Steppenwolf Theatre stars, LionsGate DIVERGENT producers) and so on. Trust me, those types were not living here under Habitat’s reign despite the gorgeous nature of the building. Riverstone has completely turned this place around. And Plum Market is a major draw too. To be fair, it’s only been open under Riverstone, but it’s amaze-​balls.
I do find the rent to be expensive (only reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5), but I am extremely happy with the location (can’t be topped); the caliber of 80% of the other residents; the greatest grocery store in the world on Level 1; the dog-​friendly aspects; and the great pleasure that is our new property mgr Jennifer and her associate Nathan. (Haven’t dealt as much with the others; Jennifer and Nathan are real stand-​outs to me).

I was one of the first residents to move in and am so thankful I am moving out in 2 weeks. First, the good: the door and maintenance staff are amazing. The location is close to work and there are a lot if things to do in the area. Now the bad. My mail is rarely delivered. I have often not received bills or other important pieces of information. The design of the apartments poorly utilizes space. The bathroom is disproportionately big while the storage is seriously lacking. They easily could have fit a walk in closet if they just reduced the size of the bathroom. The design of the convertible is very awkward. The gym is 80 degrees and there is no fan. The pool is small and I never used it because it is constantly occupied to capacity. The rooftop only uses half of the space available, so again, it is constantly to occupancy. The clark/​division stop is sketchy. I am constantly getting yelled at and have been followed on multiple occasions. Despite all of this, my rent was raised 300 a month for a convertible studio! The building is not worth the money.

Lets start that the company has come under new management… THANK YOU GOOD LORD!!! The old ones were ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE!!! Therefore, the rating would have been 1 star, but I have high hopes the new staff will do this building justice.
The door staff (Corey, Mario and Bobbi) and the maintenance team (JOE!!!) ARE AMAZING! They are the ONLY reason we have continued to live in this place. Jillian is a sweet heart and unfortunately is not at 1225 any more. The rest of the women in the leasing office are awkward, fake and unpleasant. Thankfully, they are no longer there. The people who built/​ran the building are the problem.
Let’s begin– We moved into 1225 in Sept of 2012 bc we wanted more time to look at condos. For $ 3000+ a month for a 1 bedroom, you would think the walls were lined with gold leaf. Simple things like the walls only being painted with one coat, the «wood» floor that isn’t wood, it bubbles when you try to keep it clean with a steam vac, textiles and fixtures are cheaply made, «Eco» light bulbs (that are supposed to last at least 4 years) go out TWICE A MONTH. Dishwashers that break, light bulbs in the fridge that continues to not work… the list of small things goes on and on. Yes, they are small things, however when you have 50 SMALL things, its a BIG problem. STOP CUTTING CORNERS.
Then there is the parking garage NIGHTMARE. No security whatsoever for the many nice vehicles the residents own. A garage door that is never shut, I have seem suspicious characters driving into the garage to see what is parked in there, along with people just walking in and checking handles of unlocked doors. We work hard for the things we have and one would think if you ARE PAYING A PREMIUM to protect your assets, the company would figure something out besides a ghetto lift gate that was CLEARLY not designed when the garage was built. It is OBVIOUS that the company complete flew by the seat of their pants just to get the doors open.
And we absolutely had it when a $ 500 dog charge was added to our rent without notice. We recently purchased a puppy, and had been inundated with puppy visit, training, etc… She is registered in the city and we knew we needed to «register» her in our building. It slipped our minds. We saw ALL of the office managers with our dog. We were not trying to hide anything. The question is what does that $ 500 go towards? The dog area is anything but well kept, and thats the residents faults who dont pick up after their dogs. Our puppy actually got Giardia from the poor dog run conditions, that cost $ 200 in vet bills???
This place attempts to be upscale and mimic a hotel. The building is in Old Town, WE GET IT! It costs a little more bc of the location, but give me a break. The living spaces are par for the course, NOTHING spectacular. The pool deck literally fits like 10 people. EVERY single resident I know who has moved in around the time we did (fall 2012) have already ended their leases or are planning on moving out. Apparently I need to leave the healthcare field and venture into real estate development. There are lots of things need to be fixed; I’ve given you a list, that is a good place to start.

The staff here are SO GREAT. I love living here. Location also is really convenient and our little block or two is booming with a new grocery store and hashbrowns restaurant to be open Spring 2013. Can’t wait! I wish rent wasn’t so high — that’s the catch :(

Moving can be stressful but this one was easy. I had lived in a Habitat bldg before and they are well-​oiled machines. Even though this is a brand new bldg, the team here is knowledgeable, resourceful, and accessible. Even before I moved in, I felt like I was in constant contact with Jillian and she had answers to all my questions. As far as organization and professionalism go, these are great people to work with.
And it’s a beautiful place to live with awesome amenities and friendly neighbors.

My lease is up at the end of the summer so I was thinking this would be a great location and a great new building. I had some sticker shock seeing the prices they’re charging for apartments, but I was willing to tour and look past that since there appear to be great amenities. They completely lost me when they claimed that «aggressive» breeds are not permitted to live there. It’s time to stop being so negative about dogs that were formerly America’s dog just because a few bad people got their hands on them in recent years. My dog is a rescued pit bull mix that I have trained to be a therapy dog at Warren Bar nursing home. Living at 1225 would have made it very easy for us to get to her patients so she can volunteer. Apparently this negative stereotyping the company is doing doesn’t warrant a second review of me and her as tenants regardless of any of the positive ways we contribute to the community. My money deserves to go to people with open minds and that wouldn’t be this overpriced building.