Location, Location, Location! This building is in a prime location for accessing historic and central sections of Philly via walking. The front staff are fabulous at making residents feel valued. read more

As the owner of a studio, I am highly satisfied. The strategic location offers convenient access, to restaurant, park and shops. The management team is consistently responsive and readily available to address any inquiries. While acknowledging past negative feedback, significant improvements and necessary repairs have been implemented. read more

The location and bundled amenities are great and all, but that honestly is the peak of the benefits here. Most of the units are small studio sized ones, meaning below 400 sq/ft and in most cases well below. This is included the closet and bathroom. All have "utility kitchens", meaning room for a sink, electric stove stop and a mini fridge. That's it. No counter space at all and depending on the unit, say goodbye to the only closet, because that tiny kitchen is sometimes build covering that door. Additionally, i have not seen any reviews mentioning this, but good lord, the fucking pests!!! I've been here a little over a year and really really wished I didn't renew. The first bug showed up within two weeks of moving in. Since then, it's been every few days having to deal with full sized water bug/crawlers or cockroaches now. Apparently the subbasement is just beyond infested, I wouldn't be surprised, since you can be in the lobby or laundry room and you can just see them crawling across the floor. The noises are also rather annoying, please check where your unit is. There is a building, or maybe it's our building, that has an extremely loud droning sound from there HCAV unit. It turns off (typically) at 10:30pm and you realize it's almost dead silent now. it will start back up around 4:30am. I also have the misfortune to have the first window above the dumpsters on Watts St. Meaning that dumpster pickup involves about 30-40 minutes of loud, violent smashing and banging. They also typically show up at 4:00-4:30am, so lucky you youve got a free alarm clock. However, they have shown up as late as 11am and as early as 2:45am dumpster smashing. Units are tiny, all need work and repair, poorly lite unless you have a good facing unit, all incredibly small, dirty (dust accumulates instantl) and you have to deal with pests almost on the daily. I'm actively looking elsewhere, I'm honestly at the point where I don't feel safe or comfortable in my unit. read more

Jamie from the Arts Condominium Association is the absolute best. She is super friendly, very responsive, incredibly helpful, and is GREAT at her job. She is a wealth of knowledge and jumps into action if there's ever an issue. She always goes above and beyond and I just can't say enough about her! Thanks for all you do, Jamie! read more

The experience really depends on which room you lived in. While the condominium manager and the front desk staffs are all kind and helpful, but the room of 927, is really really noisy. The strange and loud noise came from every where every night, in 1am, 2am, 3am, 4am, 5am. The pipes are crashing to each other My neighbors of room 928 and 929 have all left. It's time to leave now. So sad experience, bad luck to live in room 927, dealing with brutal realtor. You should better know what you shall face, hear, and smell, before choose it. read more

Review Synapsis The Arts Condominium is excellent for: - Those who want city living at an affordable price - Those looking for a safe living environment - Those who don't require a lot of space - Those who don't require a car (there is access to a parking garage for extra fees so it may not be a dealbreaker) - Individuals with physical disabilities - building has elevators for easy access to units, lobby, laundry, and fitness center - The communal areas of the building are always clean The Arts Condominium is not so great for: - Those who want a yard -Those who insist a building as old as my grandparents should never have any problems (there aren't many problems, when there are issues, management is always on top of it). - Those who need/want a full kitchen The building is safe, current management is attentive and available. The front desk staff are willing to help as long as. You ask. Management are always trying new things to promote getting to know your neighbors and the staff. I recently attended a "Spring Fling" party in the Arts Ballroom, I've attached some pictures. Tips: If you're renting, check to ensure your unit has temperature controls. If not, plan on getting a space heater, you'll be grateful for the investment later. If you're looking to live in Center City you'll be hard pressed to find an establishment that is able to balance prime location with attentive management without squeezing every drop of your disposable income I'd highly recommend checking this place out. read more

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You can't beat the location. PATCO and SEPTA trains are literally right outside your door and you are in the center of everything. All the common areas are kept clean, you use a card and not a roll of quarters for the laundry room, (and management warns laundry room laggers that they risk losing their laundry if they don't actual remove it from the machines -biggest pet peeve!!). I love the fact that it is secured with a doorman aka don't need to worry about my endless amazon purchases and that the building requires the events venue,"The Arts Ballroom", to have extra security guards at the entrance when the ballroom is in use to maintain that protection. I don't get the negative reviews listed here -- The building is renovated with new residential hallways, a beautiful ballroom, laundry facilities, a gym, and a common area where wifi is available. But yes, it is still an old building with some plumbing issues. And it's a huge building so there are going to be issues. I think management is pretty good with noticing everyone about them. But, the complaint about people begging for money in the area? Sadly, that's called city living. It's precisely because this building isn't in a seedy area of town that there are people asking for money. read more

I wanted to give a shout out to the manager at The Arts Condominium. I don't take the time to write reviews, but I have been so totally impressed by the extraordinary professional responsiveness by Jaime Angelo. I have been an owner of a unit in The Arts Condo for over 10 years, and every single time that I had an issue that required me to contact her she has been courteous and quick to resolve my request! Michael D. read more

I was interested in buying a small studio here. I almost made a decision, but I arrived with my son in a wheelchair to see if it fits. I was very disappointed when my son in a wheelchair couldn't fit in an elevator for handicapped. The elevator is HORRIBLE small and I am surprised that no improvement was done. The people in bigger chairs that need to be accompanied inside the elevator can not fit. I hope they will realize it and make some improvement as well because this is not a handicap friendly space. I am thinking how will work if some heavy person needs emergency help and stretcher. Who will carry him??? The people on the desk were very kind and tried to help. Unfortunately, this did not work. I'll try to find a small studio somewhere else. read more

I've lived in the Arts Condominiums for a little over a year now. Being this is my first apartment: I'd say I got a pretty good deal. Located in the heart of Center City, can't ask for a better location. I also notice that the prices (mostly offering studios) are always pretty cheap: $950 - $1100. I got lucky and got mine for only $950, and the best part: all utilities included (only need to pay for internet). If you are looking for your first-ever apartment, this is definitely the best-bang-for-your buck. The Front Desk (besides one person that has since left who was miserable) is great and friendly, and always willing to help. A few cons about the place are that the hot water can take a little bit to heat up in the morning, the on-site laundry machines can be broken sometimes, and the gym isn't the best. Also, if you want to have a usable kitchen and fridge, this isn't the place, as you only have a kitchenette with a small fridge, so you need to rely on a food-delivering service or going out for dinner. I'd say as well, if you want a bit more privacy and freedom to have guests, you probably would want to find a place without a front desk staff (as great as they are), as that will more than likely be my next place, to make it more of my own and private. Other than that, for your first place, you can't ask for anything better. read more

Don't move here! Stay away! Unless you want to forgo sleep. There are two Clubs up the street on Juniper that play loud pounding music four nights a week. There are also twenty-somethings (both men and women) that come walking down the street, drunk or high on something, from these places bellowing, laughing, and screaming. All this starts at 10 pm and doesn't end 'til 2 or 3 in the morning. This started three months after I moved here and I'm locked into a one year lease. The apartment I have faces Juniper. I Actually don't have a problem with the apartment or building itself. read more

Being an owner in this condo for the past 10 years I have to say it came a long way from where it was even 3 years ago. There was a change within the management company 2 years ago and when Jamie took over, the quality of life in the condo has improved immensely. There were renovations done on every floor, including walls, carpets & ceilings. Common area lounge was built out to provide a more vibrant living environment for residents. Whenever something breaks in the apartment or common area (lets face it things do happen in a 365 unit condo) issues get addressed much quicker than they were under previous management. Communication to residents has been excellent under new management and we now get updates well in advance of things happening (i.e. Changes to Resident regulations, window cleaning). I sincerely hope the condo will continue with solid improvements it has seen over the last 3 years. read more

Thank You to all those who reviewed the Arts Condo building honestly!!! I sympathize with your ordeals tremendously!!! And it is extremely frustrating and devastating that you had to go through such!! However, You have saved me from making very, Very poor investments!! I was going to consider investing in several units in the building, and Now I will take my capital elsewhere!!! Again, I sympathize with you more than I can say, but can't tell you how much I appreciate that you took the time to write, and save investors like myself, much tsuris and pain. read more

The Arts Condo building is located in the old Sylvania hotel building at 1324 Locust Street. Billed as "luxury condominium", one is easily fooled upon walking in the front door. The lobby is gorgeous - marble and hard wood, amazing modern chandeliers and leather furniture, velvet chairs, a security staffed front desk, gleaming new elevators. This is where the luxury ends. A little over a year ago my spouse and I had to move out of our apartment unexpectedly because our landlady decided to sell without telling us. (Yes, we sued. Yes, we won.) Not wanting to relocate out of our own neighborhood we rented a studio apartment at The Arts Condos. The studios run for between $800-1100 depending on how well refurbed they have been inside, but make no mistakes - these are studios at the truest sense of the word. They are extremely small, the size of a large master bedroom. They have tiny kitchenettes with one cabinet and a mini fridge. There is no oven, no counter space. The bathroom is equally small, room for one and one only. The building tries to explain away the high cost of these tiny apartments by including all utilities including digital cable access, but it just isn't worth it. Granted I haven't seen the one or two bedroom units that are available, but the majority of the condos are studios. One of the worst parts of the building is the central air and central heat which you cannot control in your unit. Sure, you're SUPPOSED to be able to do so, but you can't. I managed to live in not one, not two, but THREE different units over a year and two months in the building. I left the first unit after two months, demanding that the landlord let me out of my lease. I did this because the knob that was supposed to allow me to control my central air did not work, and it was the dead of summer. I stayed in the second unit for 10 months, but it was an ongoing struggle to get anything done. Right after moving in the central air stopped working for my entire floor, and it stayed non-working for 3 1/2 weeks. We got a notice from the management company saying that they were not responsible for helping us with the problem. Fortunately our landlord allowed us to buy a window unit and deduct it from the rent. However the problems continued - plumbing being a major issue in the entire building. Another big issue is that the property management office - which by the way is ONE employee ONLY - is only open from 8-5 on Monday-Friday, so if you have an after-hours or weekend problem, there is no one to go to for immediate assistance. This means that if you put your laundry and detergent into a washing machine in the laundry room and then it won't work, you're screwed. And yes...that happened. In the winter the heat wasn't working properly, and when I reported it to the property manager I was told that she thought the problem had been fixed...LAST YEAR. It was always something, and it was clear that the property management company didn't give a crap about residents. Only about property OWNERS. Another thing they try to use to "sell you" on living or buying in the building is an "office center" in the lobby which ostensibly provides you access to the things one might need for office purposes. What this amounts to is two PC computers in little cubby areas and one printer. The computers are internet enabled but useless for anything practical as practically every feature has been disabled. And the printer is good for copying ONLY, because it is not attached to the computers for actual printing! Eventually our landlord stopped responding to our complaints, which admittedly isn't the management company's fault, but I think he was just fed up of the constant complaints and mad that the management company wouldn't help. We ended up suing him to get out of our lease. Unfortunately we wound up stuck in a THIRD apartment on a month-to-month lease for 2 months because the arrangements we'd made to live elsewhere fell through. Those two months were our best in the building thanks in part to a hugely attentive landlord but also because we stopped taking the crap of the staff and began standing up for ourselves. One of the other things the building doesn't do anything about is disturbance by neighbors. The building is FILLED with college students; every day it seemed there was some 19 year old taking a tour with his/her parents. Consequently there is a ton of drinking and pot smoking, and partying. In the first and third apartments we had problems with neighbors being too noisy, and in the third it was a big problem. I filed complaint after complaint about the late night noise and the smell of weed coming through the walls, and nothing was done. We finally left after 14 months, one lawsuit and a lot of nonsense. Just as we were finally leaving they managed to put together a condo association. I'm glad we won't be there to see that. The Arts Condos is a MUST AVOID property in Philadelphia. read more

My wife and I are into our 4th year living in the Arts Condo. We loved it when we moved in and we still do. Our landlord is terrific, and we have never had any issues with the management or staff. I'm not sure where the people lived who are complaining about smoke, noise, or parties - we've experienced none of that. The fire alarm can be an annoyance, but I honestly don't remember the last time it went off. The laundry and fitness centers are kept clean. Those who complain about space - duh - it's a studio! If you are at all creative, it's amazing what you can do with small spaces. My wife and I are quite comfortable in ours - and the rent hasn't changed in 4 years! The management and staff here have been great. Recently there's been some turnover - a couple of the concierges I really will miss, but the new people seem fine as well. Jamie and I have always gotten on well. Perhaps she takes an attitude when tenants come with a chip on their shoulder - I don't know - I've never seen any of that. The ballroom is beautiful - and though it's mainly used for weddings and such - there are 2-3 lovely socials for the tenants each year as well. Perhaps the fact that I've been a homeowner affects my assessment of the maintenance staff. Basically I've rarely asked them to do anything - because most household things I can fix myself. But I ha e seen them at work around the building and they seem to know their business. A bit of advice to you millennials (or whoever) - unstopping a toilet or cleaning a sink trap are not rocket science - try learning how to do it yourself! Then you won't have to wait your turn with the maintenance staff. The Arts Condo is an old building - and sometimes things break down. My bathroom radiator, for instance, seems to run on its own schedule. But no matter, we've rarely felt the need to turn it on anyway - and I've never needed to use the one in the living area. The ambient heat from the hallways and surrounding apartments suffices most of the time. Sometimes pipes break and boilers shut down - it's an old building. But, within minutes I receive an email and a phone message letting me know. Systems are usually up and running ahead of the projected time. Suck it up a bit - you're not living at One Liberty - but then you're not paying those prices either. As for the local street life - grow up - this is the big city - there will be people asking for money, etc. - but I've never found them to be overly aggressive. Management cannot control the public sidewalk - but I've seldom encountered anyone in front of the building. In sum, this place is a jewel in my opinion. We plan to buy in the near future - and we may well buy in this building! Those voicing the negative opinions here seem whiny and entitled to me. If you've been asked not to communicate with management I suspect there more to the story than you've related in your review. read more

I realllyyyyyy wish I had not renewed my lease. I recently had a pipe leak and I could rant about it for hours and hours. Essentially, it was not dealt with properly for over 10 days, when the maintenance people did come they cut a whole in my ceiling which turned out to be in the wrong area and then had to cut one again, they didn't cover my stuff in plastic so there was dirt and debris everywhere and they didnt clean up after the mess they made so I spent day's doing it myself. I have been livid and i CANNOT wait to live somewhere else. DO NOT live here. The building is way too old and even when the people working there do their best, there are just too many problems all the time and not enough people or manpower to handle the various issues. read more

It's an old building in a fantastic location , (broad and locust st). For all of you whining millennials who expect instant gratification, complain to your unit owners or tell your parents to move you to another building which will undoubtably be much more expensive. As to the management, Jamie and her staff are professional and attentive. I was there last week and was very impressed with how clean the halls are as well as the beauty of the grand lobby. I'm living for the last six months in the Arts Condominium and spent Christmas and New Year's here. It was a pleasure, quiet and clean. Jamie our on site property management is amazing and had everything ready for the holidays. Everything is convenient to the Arts Condominium. I had a last minute party on new year's day. Nomads catered it and other essential were bought at a clean grocery store located at Watts and Spruce. Liquor store is one block away as is Schelingers deli. Management keeps the Arts Condominium spotless and very clean smelling. It great living here. read more

It's been sweltering for the past few weeks, and they STILL haven't turned on the air conditioning. I woke up this morning drenched in sweat because it was so damn hot in our unit! And if you read my prior review, we can't open the window, lest we get creepy people peeking in while we sleep. The AC is on in the lobby, but I don't know about you, I don't really hang out down there. read more

I've lived here the past year and loved every minute of it! The front desk staff (especially day shift) is super helpful and very friendly! Each unit is individually owned so not each tenant will have different experiences when it comes to tenant issues. However, I've never had a problem with noisy neighbors or the like. The building is VERY convenient! All utilities are included, there's a study room with free wifi, and free gym, a printer in the lobby you can use for free if you provide your own paper, and on site laundry. There's also a parking garage right across the street and another one half a block away so parking close by is super easy! I never felt unsafe in this area or this building. It's is close to many upscale and delicious restaurants and a few upscale bars. The subway is half a block away and the regional rail just a few blocks. It's also within a 5 minute walk of Thomas Jefferson University. The building as 24/7 front desk staff and a security guard nights and weekends. I was on the 14th floor which had a beautiful view of the city, especially at night! And being up higher meant less outside noise for me. I also was fortunate enough to have a newly renovated unit. The only reason I didn't give this building 5 stars is because you can't control the heating and central air in each individual unit. However, since utilities are included you can run a window AC or small heater and it won't cost you extra. Ironically my unit was always cold in the summer and hot in the winter LOL! Lastly, pests.....during the first 9 months of living here I never saw any bugs. I had heard horror stories of how bad they were throughout the city and in the dorms. I did begin to see a couple toward spring but the office staff was prompt in addressing the issue (an exterminator comes every tues) and I never saw any again. If I didn't have other plans I would have stayed here longer. If I come back this way in the future, I will definitely consider this building again :) read more

I had an apartment on the 11th floor, corner unit. We loved it. Steam heat worked. Great location. All utilities included which I loved. Air conditioning was pretty weak. It didn't work well at all. All in all we really enjoyed our time here. read more

I just moved in this past week and have been really happy with everything. Jamie was very professional,kind, and helped me secure the best move in time. The front desk employees have been nothing but friendly and attentive. Place is very clean, safe, and in a great location. Highly recommend! read more

I have been a tenant/owner in the building for a little over a year and could not be happier with the property and the management here. The front desk security is always around to make sure we are safe. And the management team literally gets back to me within minutes of all my requests. Jamie is always on top of everything, thank you!! And, the lobby is beautiful. Gym and laundry facilities are great and I've never had an issue with them. Absolutely a great place to live in the middle of the city. read more

The worst place I have ever lived in Philadelphia. Yes, the location is 2nd to none of you like vagrants, drug dealers and addicts begging for money directly outside of your residence. The management leave plenty to be desired. Self Entitled women who cannot manage their way out of a paper bag. The water is constantly 'off' due to a random "pipe breaking". You will be fined for the type of garbage you deposit into the trash room on the scheduled floor. Be sure you kiss the ass of the door people (ever changing) So they will let your visitors visit your condo. Also, be Positively very sure you kiss the ass of the management women to be sure you get your handy men into your condo to fix small Little issues. I waited weeks before I saw anyone. Weeks. And what a way to ring in the new year 2017: sewage not leaking into the lobby, but STREAMING into the lobby. This building is breaking down faster than a wooden structure in Chernobyl. STEER CLEAR! read more

Apparently, the air conditioning is controlled by the building, and they shut it off once the weather gets to 50° or below, but the higher floors (where I'm at) get SO HOT due to everyone running the heat. Not like I'd know because mine has been broken, and the building refused to fix it because it wasn't the dead of summer. I received a notice that my neighbors were complaining about me playing music (it wasn't even that loud, but the speakers were up against the wall). I would've received a $60 per day fine if it kept going. The notice stated that the resident approached me before complaining to management. I would've promptly turned off the music or lowered it had I known it'd been bothering someone, but they never "approached" me. My problem with this is that you can basically lie, and management will throw out fines left and right. Okay so pipes have been bursting left and right. They shut the water off nearly once every week. There's a giant hole in the ceiling of the lobby right now, and you have to enter and exit through the alley. Who knows how long it will take them to fix it? One of the shut offs that affected the whole building was not properly repaired the first time, and they left it off for another day, with only a consolation email of "lol we didn't fix it the first time." Now the "floor indicator" lights on the elevators don't work, too, and one of the elevators has been broken for over a month. I don't think they're going to fix it at this point.. This place is falling apart. Don't waste your money. read more

Nice building with gorgeous lobby and common space. There is always front desk concierge available which is great for deliveries and guests notice. This is a larger older building and has rules that front desk has to enforce. All totally reasonable. I believe most complaints are from entitled tenants who feel like they can do whatever they like. read more

I absolutely love the arts condominium. The staff is friendly and available when needed. Jamie the manager is a ray of sunshine! She's always helpful and positive. I highly recommend!! read more

Omg I live here and it's fn CRAY!!!!! Like definitely the most cray place in philly for real!!!!!!! Wtf like free internet and cable and electric but then it's also like you can't control the temperature in your unit and my toilet broke wtf???? Omg it's so hot in the winter and my neighbor is like a really crazy old lady ugh arts condos you're fn cray!!!!!! read more

It's a beautiful building in a great location. Everyone at the front desk and management office are always so helpful and friendly. Jamie, the building manager, does a great job keeping everyone updated and maintaining all the common spaces. It's very clean and safe with 24 hour front desk concierge. There are some rules and regulations, like any other building, but nothing out of the ordinary. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking to live in center city! read more

I have been an owner occupant of the Arts Condominium since the building's condo conversion back in 2006. Being a vintage building, I have seen many changes and challenges during the years and have to say, we currently have the best Property Managers and Staff we have ever had! Since 2006 we have had 3 property managers, but none who have performed the level of leadership, professionalism, diligence, dependability and integrity managing the community, along with personal care in the residents and tenants as our current Property Manager, Jamie D'Angelo and Assistant Property Manager, Diane Pyfer. I am also a Realtor where both Jamie and Diane have played pivotal roles with helping me streamline the process of new ownership, sales and rental listings, and new tenants. I love living at the Arts Condominium, and although we face challenges (as any vintage building does), Jamie and Diane are incredibly responsive and take an immediate course of action to rectify the issue, no matter the time of day or night! (I have seen Jamie and the maintenance staff on-site well past midnight with making sure the issue was tended to and resolved. Pure dedication and care!) Our front desk personnel are viable in the care of our community as well, and perform their positions with dedication, professionalism and a personable touch; following procedures to ward safety, tend to residents and tenants needs and community involvement. Since Jamie and Diane took position, our community has improved dramatically. Their teamwork with managing change, safety, community improvements and communication is undeniable, and the overall wellbeing of our community is proof of their hard work. They, along with the Staff and Board Members are all valuable assets to our community and the reason I am proud to call the Arts Condominium home! Dawn S. Owner/Occupant & PA Licensed Realtor® read more

I lived here when it was the Sylvania House from June, 1992 to May, 1999. The location and the security were just great. You have the Academy of Music, the Doubletree Hotel (where my mother worked as an overnight switchboard operator), the Merriam and Wilma Theaters, the hourly gong of the City Hall tower clock, and the Mummers Parade right there in your own backyardAt the same time, there were roaches in there and the fire alarm kept going off. Three weeks after the Blizzard of '96, a fire broke out on the fourth floor at around one o'clock in the morning. We were all waiting outside in the freezing cold for about an hour and a half before we were allowed back in. When I got back upstairs to my apartment, a police officer was right outside of my apartment. They not only knocked off part of my door, but the knocked out my woodwork and threw a lot of my cassette tapes on the shower floor. I ended up moving all of my things over to Apartment 515, right by the elevator. They threw out two of the previous tenants in there. (I heard that they were drinking and fighting a lot.) When I first moved here, the rent was only $365, and they only raised it once to $375. Then in January of '98, new management came in. (When I first moved there, it was owned by two Jewish guys.) They raised my rent to $425; then they raised it to $460 the next year (1999). I was working as a market research interviewer up in the Northeast for a lousy $6.00 an hour, and I couldn't afford to pay it; therefore, I moved out. I really missed living there, as well as in Center City first. But now, they charge such outrageous prices for that size of apartment that it's not even funny. This place used to be a hotel, and you're really paying for a hotel room. It's not even worth it today. read more

This building is very old. Do not let the website fool you. The apartments are extremely small and not good for anyone who likes some room. The AC runs all the time, so there is constant white noise during the summer months. The heat works very well. There is a mice problem in the building. Pet Friendly is advertised, but this building is not very pet friendly. They make you take your pets down a service elevator that often times is dirty and has nails or screws on the floor. You also have to exit with your pet out of a specific alleyway that is always filthy and busy. I don't recommend anyone moving into the Arts Condo. read more

My first year in the Arts was wonderful! My landlord was amazing! She was super ready to help and very corporative with any requests I had. And as I renewed for my second year I began to see the true colors of the building as well as the management and some of the staff members. Jamie, the manager of the building, was always super happy and ready to help and that all ends as soon as you need something done. My shower needed to be repaired and was put off for almost two months because of one thing or another. The shower did not get fixed until I threatened management with a call to L&I. At which point I was told I am no longer allowed to communicate with building management. I had to shower out of a pot of water that I saved the night before MULTIPLE times and had to heat it on the stove since there was no warm water. I had to go to get water bottles at the store to heat up to rinse off before work due to one outage. I am currently In the middle of laundering ALL of my clothes due to the musty smell from the last water leak. Water leaks and outages are a daily occurrence at the arts and the management has little sympathy for its residents who are expected to accommodate the buildings numerous issues. I get it , it's an old building, but it seems it's easier to fix issues with insurance money after the fact then it is to do preventative maintenance. There are evacuations from false fire alarms at some times what seems to be weekly. During these evacuations you have to use the fire towers which are very dimly lit if lit at all on some floors, very dirty, and in some cases the doors are inoperable. I physically had to kick open a door to enter the stair well. There are trash rooms on each floor and are frequently neglected. I had to go up the corporate ladder to get the trash room on my floor emptied after it was neglected for weeks on end. I have held off on this review for months until I finally moved out as I did not want issues with management during my last few months. read more

I own a small studio in this building and definitely appreciate the people who run it. They are always more than helpful to assist with any needs I have. Any time I have emailed the management office, it is PROMPTLY answered and any issue resolved. There are quirks with old buildings, and things break and need repaired. As a homeowner of old houses (2) I get that. The management office sends out emails immediately when anything needs repaired. Additionally they email updates as repairs are made. I have lived in buildings all up and down the east coast, and this one has been a favorite. Old buildings take patience from it's residence and understanding on their part. People should know this when they move into an old building. I have never had issues with heat or air. I have a window unit the management team installed (I bought) to run just in case I get a little warm during winter months. All in all, I am glad I bought in this building and love it's location and value!!!! read more

I have lived in the arts condos in apartment 203 for 2 years from August 2010 to July 2012. It was the best experience I ever had as a tenant. My landlord was Julie Mealo and she was just great. Very professional, understanding and prompt in attending to my requests. Some people advised me not to rent from an owner and instead rent from a company but I disagree because: 1) My owner really cared about my experience in her unit and she made it a point to make it seamless. 2) she had the apartment renovated with stanlessteel appliances (General Electric ) and wooden floor. 3) there is a great deal of flexibility once you've earned your landlord's trust. The apartment and landlord were not the only great things about my experience at the Arts condos. Here are some more points: - location location location: To have the luxury of literally walking to everywhere is priceless. I did not own a car and never needed to. I used the subway which by the way was half a block from the apartment to go to school (at temple). I walked to almost everything, restaurants, bars, FedEx, telephone providers, shopping on walnut, parks, the DMV, and even to my medical appointments. Security: to have a 24/7 doorman is just a blessing. I feel so safe in the building, I sometimes do my laundry at 3:00am. In fact sometimes there is more than one doorman. I also see a security guard roaming around different floors to check the hallways. I'm a security freak and this place is considered extremely safe. Amenities of the building: sometimes I get bored of studying in my apartment so I loved the option of studying in the lobby with the free wifi and computers and printer available in the lobby. Another option is the study room with those comfortable couches and quiet atmosphere. There is also a gym equipted with tv screens and vending machines. A bike storage and a salon and a barber inside the building. ATM machine in lobby. Free direct tv channels. Utilities included ( electric, water and heater...etc) all free! You are also notified about your packages via phone or email, this is a new technology they implemented which is great!. Something's may be considered minor, but it's really the small things as much as the big things that make a difference. Also the building was just recently renovated so the halls and lights are very rice. It also has a ballroom/s to rent for special ocassions and the friends of the arts send upcoming events to the building residents. Most friends that visit me get the feel of entering a hotel. I liked that ! :) If there was something negative about the Arts, I would say the 5 steps at the entrance of the building is a bit inconvenient when carrying something heavy, other than that it was awesome. Finally, If I didn't have to leave Philly, I would still be living at the Arts Condominium with no doubt! read more

I should have written this a few years ago, but today reminded me of how wonderful it is to live in the arts condominiums. I have been a tenant for almost ten years and have seen a lot of changes over time, but recently the space is better than ever. The current management, maintenance team and front desk workers have been the best yet. They are kind, helpful and always willing to lend a helping hand. Although the building is old and there are some instances of inconvenience, I see myself living here for at least another 10 years. You cannot beat the location, the amenities and the great people who work to provide you with a comfortable living space. Thanks again for all you do, it is appreciated ! read more

I moved into the Arts Condo in June of 2007. I moved out in the fall of that same year. When I first moved to Philadelphia I was pleased to find the place with all utilities included, albeit the apartment was small, very small....but it suited in a pinch and I didn't have much to move in. It was on the 8th floor overlooking Juniper St. above the large air units for the old ballroom below. I thought it was a great deal, beautiful lobby, friendly staff, etc. How things changed! On July 2nd the central air went out. I had reported the unit, located near the elevators getting louder and louder, sounded like it was moving around, and the air becoming less cold. I had also had problems with plumbing, hot water not working or the cold not working.....electricity flickered. I asked the landlord to put in extra outlets as there was only 1, yes 1, in the living/bedroom. He charged me to do that, which I paid because I had extension cords running under area rugs. Anyway, the central air on the 8th floor went out in July and was not fixed until September. I bought a unit for my apt. that the landlord never reimbursed me for. Due to the number of people buying units on the 8th floor, the electrical breakers in the garbage room kept popping at all hours of the day and night. You had to go down and reset the breakers. That's how I found out that the apartments were not wired seperately....if my breaker went out because of my window unit, then so did two of my neighbors. Are you kidding me? These are supposedly "condo" units and they are not wired seperately? The lady in the office, Mary, always promised a quick fix or was surprised to hear of problems...the management company in NJ showed absolutely no concern for the tenants....only for selling as many units as possible to unsuspecting buyers who obviously did not know the right questions to ask before buying. I finally had enough and began to move out on a Sunday afternoon; just some small things and some clothing. The lobby attendant told me I could not move on a Sunday, even thought I was using a freight elevator in the back of the building and a side door on Watts St. They even called the manager on me for moving these few small things in an attempt to get ahead of moving without losing time at work to do so. I was causing absolutely no noise or getting in the way of the normal operations of the main public elevators. But, adding insult to injury, they put a stop to it. Even the owner buckled to them. Why, I wondered since he owneed the unit? Oh yeah, once I locked myself out and I was charged $40 by a staff person to go to the office, get the spare key out a filing cabinet and go up to the 8th floor to let me in. He said it was because of all the people who continuously lock themselves out. Wow, this was my first time. When I went to Mary about it, she said no staff member was to ever charge a tenant for doing that and got my money back. Scammed and didn't even know it! I DO NOT advise anyone moving into these miniscule, noisy, hot (did I forget to mention the air goes off at the end of September every year and the heat comes on automatically in November or December...something to do with ancient city ordinances having to take down large water cooled air units by a certain date and turning on the heat at a certain time......and heat that could not be regulated...I felt like a baked potato and couldn't do anything about it except raise the windows!) apartments. And I see from these current comments nothing has gotten any better. Way too much rent for the hassle of dealing with bad management, bad owners, and landlords that don't care because they have figured out how badly they have been ripped off. STAY AWAY! read more

My bf and I shared a studio flat # 1017 - less than 400 sq feet - for $895 a month, inclusive. The apartment was dingy, dark (only one window) and falling apart. No oven, no tub - only two hobs and one cabinet. The place was a DUMP. Completely over-priced. My bf took the apt because he was desperate (I was away in the UK) - i moved in a month later. The place was total hell. We endured bed bug infestation, faulty locks and broken water pipes bursting through our wall. When our fridge (which was pint-sized) broke, it took them over a week to replace it!!! We had to throw away all of our food and was not at all compensated for it. The carpet underneath was badly damaged and it smelled terrible. The carpet was never fixed or cleaned. The faulty lock was on the front door - the mechanism inside would not turn. We were locked out of the apartment THREE times for several hours. They came to fix the lock twice, but half-assed it instead of replacing the whole thing. They finally replaced it after a doorman used a screwdriver to break in - the door frame was badly damaged and was not fixed for several weeks. The water pipes burst in the wall and kept us up at night. Then it began to leak through the wall and ruined our dresser and a large area of the carpet. The entire wall was BADLY damaged and it stunk. They came to fix the pipes 3 or 4 times and finally after several months, they fixed the wall. They came at 8am two days in a row (we worked nights) and left the work unfinished for an additional week. They never fixed the carpet, claiming it was the landlord's responsibility. It was disgusting and we lived with it for about 4 months. The bed bug infestation went on the entire time we were there. They came several times to spray. Also security there is a total joke. They are rude, impatient and loud. They will let anyone and everyone through the building and they allowed crackheads and dealers to hang out inside the entrance (not outside the building, INSIDE the building). Let's also not forget about the tranny's giving blowjobs in the alley everytime you exit from the side to walk your dog. But when we tried to enter the building with our Christmas tree, security threw themselves in our path telling us we weren't allowed to have real trees in the building. There were no signs posted and we had just paid $40 for the tree. We had to get rid of it and lost our money. The heat in the building was also a problem - it was burning up in the winters, so much so that we had to turn the a/c on!!! I'm not kidding! There were two mornings when it was freezing and on our floor (10th floor) we were not able to turn the heat on. We had to pile the blankets on. Completely ridiculous! In the end our landlord, Stever Steifler, took most of our $895 deposit, returning only $121. The reason? Replacement of the entire carpet, which was garbage to start with and badly damaged from the burst pipes and broken refrigerator. We ended up paying for damage that was NOT OUR FAULT. He also deducted $100 for key replacements - we sent the keys off to the EXACT address he'd provided. They were returned to us stating "incomplete address". We sent him the keys and rejected envelope in a new padded envelope to the address he provided. He says the keys never arrived and we have not received them back. He ripped us off of everything he possibly could. We showed the apartment to tenants for him before we moved out as a courtesy because he told us he would return our entire deposit (he inspected it just weeks before we moved out). We re-scheduled our days and waited around for people who were late. He barely gave so much as a thank you and often gave us very little notice. He was unresponsive when he had problems - he and the management of the building would play the "who's responsibility is it?" game, leaving us with problems until they resolved it. He is very cheap, refusing to update the apartment in any way. There are other units in the building for less money or the same price - bigger, hardwood floors, new kitchens and more than one window (v. depressing in the summer when the a/c takes up the whole unit). It was the single worst experience I've ever had in a building or with a landlord - do yourself a favour and avoid the arts condos!!! read more

The Arts Condo is a MUST AVOID property in center city. Wentworth Management and their on site portfolio managers Dianne Thompson and Marge Plomchok are the worst property managers that I have ever seen. They are nasty, incompetent, and refuse to help the tenants at all. The building is sweltering. Wentworth refuses to moderate the heat. The hallway renovations have taken months. The workmen do not show up to work most days. If they do show up, they only work part of the day. When they leave for the day, they do not clean up their mess. I feel like I am living in a war zone. The pipes do not work well. My bathroom sink and toilet are always clogged. read more

The lobby is a smokescreen and the best that Arts Condo has to offer. The apartments are little closets with outdated toilets, sinks, and a host of plumbing problems. The air conditioning always goes bonkers.The high numbers of students are very annoying...poor little rich kids (or brats) supported by Mommy and Daddy, some with annoying dogs. This is no place for a real adult. It is basically a college dorm overflowing with a lot of immature behavior. I don't see how anyone over 32 could possibly live here, and I feel sorry for the poor older adults who feel that they have to stay there. The old property manager, Mary Galgon, was pretty great. But there's been a change of management. The new manager seems to stay hidden in her office. Perhaps she does this because things seem to be slowly falling apart in the Arts Condo building. Washers and dryers in the laundry room are always breaking down. The heat goes off, air conditioning falters. It never, never ends. Having a Condo owner as your landlord can also be a major nightmare. Condo owners generally are pretty blase about fixing things. Arts Condo management loves the Condo owners but treats the tenants like Ethopian peasants. read more