Great value! We have a very spacious one bedroom apartment. Layout is a little odd, but we love the storage space, especially the large walk-in closet and additional storage unit. Each unit is individually owned so it can be hit or miss when dealing with the property owners. Overall building management is just ok. There has been a ton good amount of turnover and it can sometimes be hard to reach the Property Manager.

The location is great as well! It's right next to the Davis Street L stop and Metra stop and a just a few blocks from the heart of downtown Evanston.

The good:
Spacious condos. Some of the units are a tad bit dated, just depends on the condo owner you're renting from, but no major issues overall.
Price. Super affordable compared to where 75% of the student population is living (i.e. E2, Centrum).
Location. You're right next to E2 and next to the Davis CTA and metra stops. One of the closest buildings to all the downtown Evanston stuff, grocery, etc.

Not so good:
Very few amenities here. There is an outdoor space but it's generally been closed during covid. There is a gym but limited equipment, strict capacity rules etc. The building has many older residents so they're super conversative about this type of stuff.
Few students. Quiet building.

Great value, rent is much lower than neighboring apartments while still very close to friends at E2, Centrum, etc. Much of your experience will depend on your individual landlord. Building management is just ok, but I don't interact with them a lot and the building is mostly well maintained. Not much of a social scene, but I don't mind as the other buildings are so close. Walls between units are thiccc, I never hear the neighbors.

Spacious and quiet

While this is an older building and thus isn't as nice as some of the other options in the area, you are able to find a much larger unit for a lower price. Each unit is owned by a separate landlord so the updates/appliances in each unit are different and it is important to make sure that you have one that seems responsive. Overall there are much fewer students in the building so there is not much of a social scene, but the building is located within a 5 minute walk of where most students live.

Pros: Building itself is a pretty good deal relative to many of the other buildings in the area. Our one bedroom is very large and has a good amount of storage space (huge walk-in closet plus a storage unit). It's nice to have so many utilities included as well. We only pay for internet and electric. Everything else including cable, parking and our storage unit. There are also a few common areas, although everything is still closed due to COVID as of December 2020. Location is great. It's right in the hard of downtown, a 2 minute walk to the trains, and about a 20 min walk to the global hub.

Cons: Management can be difficult to reach. Heat/AC isn't great. It has been very hot throughout the colder months. Train is right next door so can be loud at times if you're a light sleeper. The building is also pretty quiet, and, although there are other Kellogg students, it is not very social (I realize this may not be a con for everyone).

Note: This is a condo building so each unit is likely to be different based on the owner.

Not many students in this building, which may be good or bad depending on your perspective. Only a block from Optima Horizons and E2, where the bulk of Kellogg students are. Lots of space for the price, thick walls so no issues with neighbors. Pool, gym, and outdoor common area have been closed for the entirety of the COVID pandemic, a negative point of contrast with some of the other area buildings.

The location is in downtown Evanston and about a 20 minute walk to the hub so couldn't ask for more. The apartment is nice enough - the kitchen is dated and small things break (i.e. - faucets) but its fairly big and you can't hear your neighbors at all which we like. The floor to ceiling windows are nice but it can make it really cold in the winter so heat is more expensive. The building itself is old which is evidenced by the 3 pipe bursts last winter that resulted in flooding in apartments and that our elevators have worked 50% of the time we've been here. The management's response to the flooding and elevators has been atrocious. After ripping up our baseboards and putting holes in our walls they went silent for 3 months. We finally had to finish the work ourselves. Because the units are condos renters have no leverage with building management and owners are remote and unresponsive. If you want something similar I would pay a little bit more and opt for one of the other optima properties.

We have a great one bedroom in a prime location within Evanston. It's a 20 minute walk to the hub and close to all the necessary amenities: Target, restaurants, grocery stores, bars. The biggest downside is the building management who can't do basic things like keep the elevators running or the pool filter working, but will send emails almost daily badgering tenants about the most inane issues.

The building won’t wow you by any means, but it’s spacious and gets the job done. If given the opportunity to do it again, I would live here.