Jackson Square Apartments

Jackson Square is a great location: in the Third Ward close to bars, restaurants and the Summerfest grounds. Additionally the apartments look nice. Unfortunately this is where the honeymoon ends.
It is apparent that everything in these apartments was done on the cheap. The screws in the balcony doors are literally falling out — apparently the construction team forgot the washers so each time the door is open and closed it becomes a little more unscrewed. The paint is not durable and scuffs extremely easily, resulting in marks along the baseboards. The air conditioner starting is akin to a shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral. The cabinets are made of some sort of particle board with a veneer that chips easily. For «luxury» apartments one would think the materials used in construction would exceed those that would be bought at IKEA and the Do It Yourself section at Home Depot.
The real kicker though is the «fitness center.» Since Jackson Square officially opened in May, residents have been anticipating the opening of the fitness center. Many residents were able to look beyond the 4 months of delays in the hopes that the «wait would be worth it.» Yesterday the fitness center opened…
Watching the movers unload the truck brought back memories of Mom and Dad placing presents under the tree on Christmas morning. Two burly men carried out one treadmill… and then another! «We must have been good this year,» I think to myself! What is next? A weight machine! Summer 2012 would be a good summer indeed;) As I watched the movers return to the truck to bring out the next piece of equipment that would fill the large room that had remained vacant for 4 months I wondered what could possibly be next… free weights? a dead press? A recumbent bike? Oh how I’ve wanted a recumbent!
But wait… the men are leaving? Surely they are just returning to the warehouse to fill the truck! As I waited patiently on my balcony, watching after hour after hour go by, it became apparent the men would not return. I walked to the elevator and pressed «LL» to see the fitness center I had waited so long to see come to fruition. It looked so sad… so empty… so lonely. Talk about a disappointment under the tree. While not exactly a lump of coal, it became apparent that the recession really is hitting us all. No Matthew… there is no Santa.
if you’re looking for a place to live where management will stay out of your hair. Come to Jackson Sq! If you expect any modicum of value for your dollar and have any expectation as to what a «luxury» apartment is, look elsewhere.

I have been living here for a couple weeks now and the bottom line is that it’s a nice looking cheaply built apartment building in a great location.
My main complaint is that it’s relatively noisy. I keep thinking people are in my apartment because sounds from the hallway are so loud. You can also hear people next to and above you more that I’d like. The units have ‘wood’ floors, so if someone is walking on the floor above you, you hear it. When I was moving in, I was using the bathroom and could hear someone singing in Spanish in the unit above me rather clearly.
Nothing in the units are real wood, not even the wood floor. I don’t know what they’re made of, but not wood. A bunch of the dry wall in my unit is slightly warped so that the trim on the floor is not flush against it. The bottoms of the drawers in the kitchen seem like little more that cardboard. One of mine came with a crack in it that I could easily push a finger through if I wanted.
The microwave is cheap. On the inside there’s just a giant plastic sticker used as a splatter guard. I almost took it off thinking it was a sticker covering the actual spatter guard.
I’ve used the dishwasher several times, and it still makes a weird/​gross smell every time I use it, which ends up on my dishes.
I could go on, but you get the point.
Some of the listed amenities don’t actually exist. They are currently ‘working’ on a fitness room in the unfinished basement, and there is no courtyard, only a giant open space covered in white plastic and construction garbage.
The sliding doors in my unit are very difficult to slide, and many of the hinges in my unit squeak and don’t have the hinge pin fully inserted.
On the plus side, the location is good, the place seems efficient in terms of heating and cooling, and I like my large windows, glass doors, and patio.