Presidential Towers (West Loop) (Chicago, Lincoln: apartments, for rent, how much)

[yamasho]

What is everyones position on this complex? They seem to be perfect. The towers are literally 2 seconds from my job and centrally located in close proximity to the loop (madison and canal), and great views (49 story buildings).

There is a class action lawsuit against the owners due to bed bug problems. So, I guess I should avoid the place. However, they seem to be perfect in everyother aspect. A studio is about $1000 and a convertible is about $1200. Do you all think it is worth it?

Have you all heard much about the Presidential Towers? There seems to be terrible ratings on apartment rating sites which is a shame. These would be perfect for me.

Any info/insight?

Once again, thanx in advance

[Drover]

How much are you willing to pay for convenience? That kind of money can get you a pretty spacious 2-bedroom spread in many safe neighborhoods in this city. A friend of mine lives in PT, and he's pretty indifferent about it. For him the convenience of being downtown is worth it. That's his only reason for living there though. He doesn't care much for it but he says it serves its purpose so he's still there.

[chitownabs]

If you are bringing your own bed, you will be fine. You can rent a furnished apartment (short term) or you can furnish it yourself.

If you want to live near work, this is the perfect place. If you want to live in a real neighborhood, there are a lot of other places.

[DonkeyTeeth]

I lived in PT for one year in the mid-90's. I'm surprised to hear there are health issues there since it seemed well kept-up back then. The multiple restaurants, grocery store, health club, pool, etc. were enticing to a first-time high-rise resident, but the thrill faded quickly once I learned the social lay-of-the-land in Chicago.

You're very isolated from the 'fun' areas like Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Bucktown, and even the MI Ave shopping. It's not really a neighborhood and the area is a ghost town on weekends. A high-rise complex that big kind of feels like living in a hotel after a while. Elevators are slow and crowded during peak times, so it can sometimes take 5-10 minutes just to get outside. Finally, climate control is not totally in your hands. The air system can only pump heat or air, and they pick a date to switch it over. So if you have an 80 degree day in late April or a 50 degree night in early September there's only so much you can do.

Still, if you work in the loop, don't have a problem venturing further away on weekend, and really hate a morning commute it might still be a good option.

[j33]

So you can't open the windows? I would not want live in a place where I cannot get fresh air at anytime I choose.

[DonkeyTeeth]

You can open the windows, but you can't make the air system blow cool air unless the whole building has been setup for A/C.

[maxjr]

Thread Resurrection
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Moving to Chicago from Florida... was recommended Presidential Towers by head hunter, but found negative reviews online Presidential Towers Apartment Ratings, Reviews, Map, Rents, and other Chicago apartments for rent from ApartmentRatings.com

Anyone here have any recent reviews of this place?

Thanks!

[IloveLoganSquare]

Not sure if they still have it the PRes grocery has delicious soup at lunch. People walk for over half a mile at break to go to the Pres and eat soup...

[Damage Control Freak]

Well there actually are a couple of fairly recent reviews on apt ratings.com. You can find a handful of other reviews here:
Presidential Towers - Near West Side - Chicago, IL 60661
but they're pretty much singing the same tune.
Though these apt. ratings always tend to be rather negative (probably cause unhappy tenants have a bigger urge to tell the world), it seems pretty obvious the place is not too great. AFAIK the PT are also a bit pricey, so it doesn't really seem such a great choice.
If you just wanna live in a high rise close to the loop you can get much better deals in streeterville, south loop etc.

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by Drover

A friend of mine lives in PT, and he's pretty indifferent about it.

Everyone I've known who's lived there seems indifferent to it. Not bad, not great, just.... enh. If it is super convenient for you it could be worth trying for a year, I've never heard any horror stories about it.