Walnut on Highland

I moved in during the summer after a long search and can say I am extremely happy with the apartment. I now have about 6 months of experience in this building — and only have positive things about the experience. The move in process was a breeze, working with Courtney from the front office was amazing — made sure we had everything we needed to move in smoothly.
After moving in, things were still great — there is laundry on every floor, common spaces are always clean and welcoming, and packages are kept safely in the mail room (you get an email when packages arrive). The gym and office room have the basic necessities. If there there is a maintenance issue, the management team is quick to resolve it and notify you when the work order is complete. The finishes inside the apartment are all new, and the heating/​cooling system works great.
The one downside is that there is construction happening right outside my window in the mornings/​afternoons. It also means I lost my view since the neighboring building now is taller than my floor :(
Overall, I am quite happy with the apartment and recommend it!

WE worked with Courtney who is excellent. The process of signing the lease, moving could not of gone smoother. Apartment is beautiful, spacious and in excellent shape.

Recently moved in! I highly recommend this place and I love living here.
Move in process — literally the most wonderful/​least stressful move-​ins! The building manager (Courtney) set aside a parking spot for us on the day of the move-​in right in front of the apartment. She was super nice and helpful by supplying us with push carts. We even got a move-​in gift full of Anthropologie goodies (soaps, lotions, kitchen towels, and a gift card). She also mentioned we could take however long to move-​in unlike some other apartments that make you stop moving in at a certain time.
The building — so clean all the time and it’s so nice/​new. It was recently renovated so its super modern. Each floor is cleaned daily. The trash chute room smells great and it’s literally the cleanest trash chute room ever. There’s a trash chute and two washers and dryers on each floor.
Other notes — Card entry instead of keys. Free parking spot included. 5 min walk to Target, Wholefoods, Chipotle, and key Shadyside food places such as Madmex, Noodle Head, and BRGR. There are social events thrown too (catered viewing of the world cup, home decorating tips held by Anthropologie designers, etc…)
Only con was that there were some unclean parts of the apartment I just moved into (all easily cleaned so no big deal). Also some some dead electrical sockets.
Overall I love living here and would definitely recommend it!

The apartments are smaller but it just takes some creativity to arrange the furniture in a functional way. The staff is very friendly and the amenities are fantastic. They seem to have gatherings every month in the recreation room, which is a nice chance to meet the neighbors. I was very luck to be the first to rent and have to say I was overall impressed with the move in process.
I do have some complaints though. They seemed to have forgotten me around the holidays when they passed out candy jars to most of the people in the building (not really a big deal). Also, when it came time to move out (bought a house) I gave them more time then they needed, which was a disadvantage because I had to be out of my apartment frequently (four times in one week) so that they could show it (a problem when you work nightshift and have to sleep during the day). The last thing is the noise. My floor has two apartments that have dogs. The one is down the hall and barks for hours during the day and the other is right next door and barks every few hours. I have complained several times for the one unit but nothing has been done (several months this has gone on). The noise from the dumpsters is also a problem if you are looking for an –06 or –07 unit.
Overall, I liked living here; however, I’m very happy to be moving out so that I can sleep better during my off hours.

I moved in to Walnut on Highland about 6 months ago. I have had a wonderful experience. The management is excellent. The staff is friendly and always willing to sign for packages and will even take them to your apartment if necessary. The premises are always clean. The building has amenities that are hard to find in Pittsburgh. It has a nice gym, game room, parking garage and washer/​dryers on every floor. It is also pet friendly!

After some frustrating apartment hunting, I stumbled into the Walnut on Highland. Finally, something with new finishes, open layouts, high ceilings, a nice walk-​able location, and still has some old-​school charm and architecture.
The staff is fantastic, friendly, professional and helpful. They’ve worked hard to ensure that I’m happy, and are quite responsive to issues. I had some noise problems with HVAC that required substantial trial and error, but they were persistent until it was resolved.
The neighbors are friendly, fun, and… neighborly. Its nice that the management often has social events for the tenants so you can meet each other.
Utilities are pretty inexpensive. I have a 2br, and the highest the heating/​electric bill went (with Ethical Electric Green Energy) in January was 740kWh, about $ 100. Not bad! Water is fixed and included with rent as a fee.
However, the building is not without some quirks and issues:
* There aren’t lights where there really ought to be — like in a dark, isolated hallway closet where you can’t see your clothes. Or above where the dining room table should go!
* The floors aren’t real hardwoods, they’re cheap laminate. At least I don’t have to worry about scratching them.
* The paint on the walls somehow marks with the slightest scratch or brush up against it. Its like they put on a single coat, and the paint has carbon or something to show wherever it was touched.
* The elevator has a beautiful glass wall in it, yet the windows to the exterior are covered in either bird poop or concrete droppings. Visitors are like «OOOOhhh!» followed by «Eeeeewwww». Its kind of embarrassing.
* The place is locked up like Fort Knox. Its nice that it is secure, but holy cow, its super annoying if you’re trying to host a party. You or somebody have to go down the elevator to let somebody in EVERY TIME. There is no way to buzz somebody up. Going from the lobby entrance to your unit requires at least 3 badge swipes. Garage to the unit requires FIVE badge swipes! (Garage entrance, garage vestibule, lobby vestibule, lobby, elevator). I curse out loud every time I have to walk in carrying something. Really, they need to make a real security desk in the lobby.
* Lots of construction noises due to East Liberty Transit Center renovations. This usually starts around 7:30am every day. This isn’t in the property’s control, but something to consider about location. With East Liberty projects scheduled all around us, I don’t expect outside noise to be getting better within the next few years.
* The pet fee is insanely high. ½ a month rent for a cat?! I paid it, because I love my cat, but there is no way she could possibly do that much damage to an apartment for any amount of time. It isn’t even refundable. Silly.
Overall, I’m happy with the place and the problems above are most definitely «first world problems», but for the price premium that we pay for a luxury apartment, I expect a little more. Until The Odeon, Eastside III, and Bakery Square 2.0 projects are completed, this or a few private loft condos are basically your only option for a contemporary place in the neighborhood.

When I found the Walnut on Highland building would be open this summer, in time for me to move, I couldn’t believe my luck. I’d been living in an old house a quarter mile away in Shadyside and always dreamed about what a great location that place under construction would be. And when I found out it was not only pet friendly (!), but also affordable, I knew I didn’t need to look anywhere else.
Moving in, I was not disappointed. The apartment is spacious and well appointed with appliances. I particularly love the open kitchen. The building utilities are great as well — washer and dryer can be paid with a credit card and the gym is full of high tech equipment.
This is my first time living in a managed apartment and Walnut Capital has been great. All my requests are handled quickly, the common areas are kept clean, staff is always friendly, and they even throw parties for the residents.
Finally, the location is amazing. Access to great bars and restaurants within stumbling distance, bus lines right out side to downtown, close to the main roads, but yet still fairly quiet for city living.
I highly recommend this building!