Considering Renting "sight unseen" at Grand View Tower (St. Louis: apartment complexes, neighborhood)

[NewbieVSNoobInTown]

I'm considering renting "sight unseen" at the Grand View Tower on South Grand. I've done lots of online research and understand that it is probably not the best place to live in the city, but is it the worst? I'm relocating from another state and only plan to stay at the tower for a short time.

Any advice or thoughts on the area?

[billiken]

I would never live there. When I was a SLU student, I used to deliver meals to people in that building. The fact that plenty of people in the building need meals from charity should tell you something about the general demographic. Also, it was quite smelly.

[aragx6]

I have never been inside, but I can say it is the saddest building I may have ever seen from the outside.

[NewbieVSNoobInTown]

Originally Posted by aragx6

I have never been inside, but I can say it is the saddest building I may have ever seen from the outside.

What do you mean by saddest? The outside reflects what billiken wrote?

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by NewbieVSNoobInTown

I'm considering renting "sight unseen" at the Grand View Tower on South Grand. I've done lots of online research and understand that it is probably not the best place to live in the city, but is it the worst? I'm relocating from another state and only plan to stay at the tower for a short time.

Any advice or thoughts on the area?

You could do a LOT WORSE. You could do a LOT BETTER.

The area around St. Louis University is NOT a great area and is not an area that I would like to walk alone at night. (I spent a LOT of time at the College Church when I was in St. Louis). The area has improved as the University has been actively acquiring throughout the area.

If I was on foot and living in the area, I would select on-campus housing if I was a student.

If I was NOT a student, I would live in one of the apartment complexes on S. Grand SOUTH of I-44. Some of those places are a bit nicer. However, I would probably take the bus to the campus as opposed to walking that stretch.

[pianist1972]

The area in Midtown around SLU has improved quite a bit in the last several years. There are pockets of not so great areas, for sure. I wouldn't do anything sight unseen when it comes to living arrangements.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by NewbieVSNoobInTown

What do you mean by saddest? The outside reflects what billiken wrote?

I've actually never known anything about the people who live there as billiken does, but I honestly think it might be the ugliest building in St. Louis -- it has a very cold, very domineering presence in Midtown and from the highway.

I personally wouldn't have any major qualms with the neighborhood, and you're very close to campus, but the building itself just doesn't strike me as a nice place to live.

[Dawn10am]

I have a friend who lives at The Flats at 374 (or whatever) which are right below the Grand View Tower and I haven't heard good things. Evidently there are a lot of lower-income people who live there who loiter around and yell at her. The building itself is also of the cold 60s variety, which is a turn off. You could do a lot better in STL.

[NewbieVSNoobInTown]

Thanks everyone!