Brand New Urban Apartments in Downtown (Cleveland, Toledo: apartment complex, rental, loft)

[nickw252]

There have been a lot of posts lately of people moving to Toledo for graduate school. I'm graduating from Law School in a few weeks and have lived in various places in Toledo, and I've articulated my views on a lot of apartments/areas lately.

I've decided to consolidate my views by creating this post.

Campus Area:
I lived right across the street from the main campus my first year. The area was appealing to me because I like walking places rather than driving, and I thought there would be a nice college-like atmosphere there. I couldn't have been more wrong. The area around campus is dangerous, I had drug dealers living below me, cops were constantly in the neighborhood, and the apartments were cheaply and poorly built. That was 3 years ago, however, and there has been some development since I moved out so it may be better now.

Suburbs:
After my less than stellar year in the campus area I moved to the suburbs (Maumee). The apartment complex was peaceful and quiet but there lies the problem. There were absolutely no amenities for younger people, no bars/restaurants/book stores/coffee shops nearby (in walking distance) and poor public transportation. The people that lived around me were middle aged and would complain to the management and police when I was watching TV too loud. They reported a party once when my girlfriend and I were watching a movie. I am not a rowdy or loud person, this was just the type of people that lived in the apartment complex. We also received multiple complaints about where we parked our cars (???) and just about anything else. It was not a fun year that was topped off with a lot of petty annoyances.

Every time I wanted to do something I had to drive, and rush hour traffic was very frustrating in the morning and afternoon.

West Toledo:
I currently live in West Toledo. It is relatively close to the main campus, near the bike trail (I occasionally ride my bike to school), and there are a few bars and restaurants in walking distance. The complex has a slightly higher caliber of people living here but there are still a lot of undergrads with parties and loud car stereo systems, and the area doesn't seem very safe because there are no street lights in the neighborhood. Those are just minor annoyances though. It is still a poorly built building and I can hear the neighbors and traffic down Dorr St. Overall it has been the best place I've lived in Toledo but that's not saying much considering the prior two experiences.

Downtown:
I looked at apartments downtown before moving to my current place but unfortunately never made the move. I believe it was a mistake for multiple reasons:
1. All the good entertainment is downtown (Mud Hens, Hockey Arena, Nice Bars & Restaurants, etc.) I find myself paying hefty taxi fees getting home after drinking downtown. Downtown also has parks, the Erie Street Market, the world-class Toledo Museum of Art, a beautiful Art Deco library, and various other eclectic little stores and shops.
2. Contrary to popular belief, it is very safe. The streets are all well lit, there are young, affluent people downtown working and visiting bars or restaurants every night of the week. If you look at the Toledo police map of weekly violent crimes they are not happening downtown, they are happening in north and west Toledo.
3. It has nice and unique apartments, most with indoor, covered & heated parking. The apartments range from old hotel towers that were converted to apartments (Commodore Perry, Park Lane), to loft conversions (Sunflower Building, Hannon's Block), to old department stores converted into large apartments with high ceilings and huge windows (LaSalle).
4. Good public transportation - this is important to me since I used to live in Chicago relying solely on public transit and realized what a huge benefit it is to have. It's cheaper than driving, don't have to worry about parking, and instead of fighting traffic you can sit back and read the news or a book.
5. Court houses and attorney's offices are downtown. In law school, part of your education involved doing externships and internships under judges or at law firms. All the Lucas County courthouses, legal aid societies, and big law firms are downtown. Living in the area lets you avoid traffic and potentially paying for parking. I currently work at one of the courts and almost all of my friends in law school have had a legal job downtown. Driving downtown from west Toledo and Maumee every morning gets old fast.


Finally - the main reason I made this post is to hopefully help graduate students coming into Toledo. I made a lot of mistakes when I moved here. I'm not in undergrad so I wanted to get a little away from that environment, but I'm not 60 years old either. I still want to have a night-life on the weekends.

Lastly - here is some exciting news - a very old building downtown has been under construction for a while and it looks like a perfect place for a young professional or graduate student. The building is called "Hannon's Block" and it's not completed yet, but they just put up a website with floor plans and information. It apparently has a rooftop deck, is pet friendly, is in walking distance to the baseball stadium, hockey arena, and numerous bars and restaurants.

Here is a picture and their website with floor plans and other information:





Hannon's Block

If anyone has questions - feel free to ask - I am not associated with any of these places, I'm just a supporter of urban development (rather than more sprawl and wasteful building) and I believe downtown Toledo is a beautiful place and has enormous potential for the future.

[nickw252]

Commodore Perry:
I really like this building, the units are very nice clean and roomy. I have friends in law school living here and they are very happy. The building has adjacent, indoor parking, and you can see the Mud Hens stadium from some of the rooms.

Commodore Perry Apartments Apartments Toledo, OH - Apartments for Rent in Toledo Ohio

Park Lane Luxury Apartments:
I've been through here also. The building is nicely restored and is right on the border of Uptown and the Old West End. The Toledo Museum of Art is right out the front of it. I liked this place, but would prefer to be closer to downtown. It also had a gated area for parking.

Park Lane Luxury Apartments Apartments For Rent in Toledo, Ohio - Apartment Rental and Community Details - ForRent.com

Historic Hillcrest Apartments:
I also had a friend living here. His apartment was on one of the top floors and he could see the fireworks from Mud Hens games on the weekends. It's located on 17th street in the heart of Uptown. It was a nice building, but again, I think I prefer the buildings more downtown.

Historic Hillcrest Apartments Apartments For Rent in Toledo, Ohio - Apartment Rental and Community Details - ForRent.com

LaSalle:
This was my favorite high-rise downtown. It is a converted department store in an incredible building. It has restaurants, court houses, law firms, and other entertainment at your doorstep. The apartments were unique in that they had high ceilings, big windows, great views of the river and the skyline, and there is a beautiful rooftop deck. Heated indoor parking is under the building and it feels extremely safe, and the people that live there seem to be all professionals and graduate students.

LaSalle Apartments Apartments For Rent in Toledo, Ohio - Apartment Rental and Community Details - ForRent.com

There are a few more that I can't remember right now, I'll get them later.

[PhillytoCincy]

Thanks! Looks awesome!

[NorthPoleMarathoner]

Looks great. Nice to see so many good things happening in Toledo.

I used to live on Dorr near Holland-Sylvania. If I were to ever move back I would probably live downtown or in Bowling Green.

Though most of the people in my neighborhood were happy with the area.

[nickw252]

Originally Posted by NorthPoleMarathoner

Looks great. Nice to see so many good things happening in Toledo.

I used to live on Dorr near Holland-Sylvania. If I were to ever move back I would probably live downtown or in Bowling Green.

Though most of the people in my neighborhood were happy with the area.

I currently live near there, except it's at the intersection of Dorr and Reynolds. There was a shooting at Amigos (mexican bar) at the intersection earlier this year and a dead body was found on the opposite side of the street just a few weeks ago. It certainly isn't the safest area.

[NorthPoleMarathoner]

Originally Posted by nickw252

I currently live near there, except it's at the intersection of Dorr and Reynolds. There was a shooting at Amigos (mexican bar) at the intersection earlier this year and a dead body was found on the opposite side of the street just a few weeks ago. It certainly isn't the safest area.

It was still safe when I was there. It just seemed depressing to me.

[metalski]

i know this post is over a year old, but i'm looking to move to the toledo area soon and am completely lost bc i know nothing about it! the info you gave above is great and i plan on checking out the places! do you recommend any where else?

[ryansmith]

Basically: what are your (metalski) needs? Buy or rent? Nightlife or quiet? Historic or vinyl? Family-friendly?

The downtown condos and apartments are attracting a lot of the young professionals that want something to do at night, but not the 24/7 noise that one gets near a college campus... The young professionals also seem to often be annoyed with how unfriendly and boring the suburbs are. It is exciting to see the redevelopment of the Hannon Block and other previously derelict structures into housing. Rumor has it that there is to be a lot more development in the Warehouse District... there are a few prominent eye-sore warehouses that have been bought by developers.

It is the worst kept secret on these forums that my favorite Toledo neighborhoods are the Old West End and Harvard Terrace.

[Bruin76]

Very useful information. My daughter just graduated law school as well, and has been offered a legal aid job within a block of the Commodore Perry. We are from the west coast and our only information is via these blogs and from distance relatives who have previously lived in the Toledo area. We have been told to locate in the burbs, eg Sylvania and Ottawa Hills. Your notes seem to indicate that redevelopment is making the downtown area 'better'. Can you comment on how safe it is to work and or live in this area for a 25 year old woman? Or would she be better off in the burbs and driving into town daily..... with limited snow experience? Thanks.

[ryansmith]

A lot of people seem to be asking about safety in Toledo, probably because of the large ring of distressed properties around the city... it looks like it could be dangerous to people that are used to a very robust economy on the coasts, but in reality, the city has a low crime rate compared to most cities its size... and the low rate of violent crime in the city makes for local news that can get really dull; when a violent crime does occur, the news covers it for months.

With that being said, the downtown area is clearly transitional, but, in my personally opinion, it is perfectly safe. It is quickly returning to the cultural center it used to be... I am often down there because of the venues like the Toledo Opera at the Valentine or the not-figure-friendly restaurants.

I will also caution you that there is more to Toledo than downtown and suburbs... there are many wonderful neighborhoods within the city. I live in a very family friendly Toledo neighborhood, yet I can be downtown in a few short minutes.

Toledo gets a lot less snow then places like Cleveland, but, if you aren't used to any snow/ice... that could be your biggest adjustment.