Location: Amazing This is on rittenhouse square, and it's a quiet corner. This is one of the top locations in all of the city - there's nothing else you need to say. Staff: Really nice, efficient, reasonable, and respectful (with one exception) The staff and building manager Kyle were very nice, and he communicated everything he was working on to the condo building. Kyle is the one keeping it all together. Staff were very reasonable and helped you with anything that you needed for the building. I was happy they were always friendly to you when you were arriving. Allan Domb was also very professional as the property management, where they would follow up on issues that were not resolved. The package room was very efficient and nice. Nothing was ever lost. The exception to good staff was the parking garage staff. It's valet only, and the staff really seemed rude and angry at the residents. Worst of all, they once left my headlights on my car and the battery completely drained. This was a nightmare. Affordability: Good I had a rent of $1425, with most utilities included, even TV. But my room was very, very small. (no dishwasher). It was the smallest room I have ever lived in. There was no counter space except for 1 area to put a large cutting board in the kitchen. If you're looking for an affordable place that is just enough to be OK, this is a place you can stay. Building Quality: Old, but they do their best. This building is very old, and things are breaking down. For example, the lobby's HVAC system broke, so the lobby had no cooling while we experienced a 90+ summer for many days, and it couldn't get fixed for the whole summer (due to lack of parts). The building front desk people were so hot and this may be why so many of them left! The gym is very small, but it's not that expensive. It's pretty typical for an older building. The elevators did work well though. Room: Small and livable but with cooling issues. I had a west facing room, and the sun shining into my room each day in the summer made it extremely hot, so that the AC could not catch up. They tested it but said that the AC was good enough coming out, but the problem is that it didn't cool my tiny room, meaning there were major problems. The windows were also not very well soundproofed so I could often hear yelling and loud cars all through the day and night. Heat worked well and warmed my room in the winter. The walls doors are not particularly soundproofed. I heard every door open and close within probably 3-4 doors down, and heard keys jingling. But I do not think the walls were super thin. However, my upstairs neighbor was very loud too, and actually woke me up at night at times. read more

Building is old and falling part. I couldn't say it any better than Chelsie's review, they nailed it.

I'm shocked by the bad reviews. I live across the park in Parc and my fiancé moved his mom into a unit he bought here so she would be close by. The unit is absolutely beautiful, and every time I have gone there I've a great experience, so I wonder if owning vs renting might be a factor. I think the rules are pretty standard everywhere in Philly, maybe check them before moving somewhere if they will be an issue. Also, there is construction everywhere in center city, but good earplugs will save you so much stress. Next up, people will the building for the bad traffic around the square!! The major point I want to make is that the front desk staff has been so helpful on the couple occasions when we've had a scare with his mom and I needed to get up to the unit in a pinch without the fob. They are awesome and it is very much appreciated. read more

The Dorchester is absolutely one of Philadelphia's "Great Buildings". It is situated on the Southwest corner of Rittenhouse Square, directly on the park, with ~550 condominium units on ~30 floors. Most units have at least one balcony, and about half of all units have either a view of Rittenhouse Square (simply beautiful) or an unobstructed view (above floor 8 or 10) of the city toward the south (great light, neighborhoods, and stadiums) or west (amazing sunsets and University City). The building provides all the expected luxury amenities and services including professional doormen (at curb and lobby), valet parking in underground garage, rooftop pool, fitness room, etc. Building common areas and systems are very well-maintained by CAMCO (property managers), and their communication (work notices, policies, etc) are superb. Elevators are generally quick and smooth. Security cameras are present but not intrusive. The resident mix is evenly spread; you will see about as many graduate students and young professionals as you will older singles and married couples. There are also a reasonable number of small/young families. And I could write another 3 paragraphs about the quality of the immediate neighborhood! But that's a separate topic... read more

The Dorchester - Entryway on West Rittenhouse Square - Condominiums Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

After swimming in the pool at the top of the Dorchester, I can now say that I swam higher than Michael Phelps ever was. A great swim and an even better view. Quite possibly one of the prime locations of center city. Thanks to the mysterious Baby Badness for access to this hidden gem. read more

The Dorchester - Condominiums Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Just moved into the building recently, don't get fooled by the fancy lobby, possibly one of the worst buildings in the area. Moving in is such a pain, you're only given a couple of hours to move your stuff in, you have to reserve your slot weeks in advance and make your moving truck appear for that time slot. You have to pay $300 when you move in, no explanation why this is needed, totally non-refundable. You can smell cheap cigar smoke in the corridors and through the vents. Maintenance is shoddy, takes them days to fix any plumbing issues, they'll turn off the water in your bathroom suddenly without even notifying you. Condos will get repaired with jackhammers all day, again no notice or warning. Appliances and heaters are usually antiquated, don't count on anything working. The fob security system is useless as food delivery guys take the elevators up all the time. The gym is a joke, just a couple of treadmills and ellipticals for a 30 floor building. The single star is for the views, the location and the air conditioning. Pretty much everything else about this place is a bust. Plenty of better options in the Rittenhouse Square area for cheaper rent, can't wait to move out next year ! Avoid this building and save yourself a lot of misery ! read more

I have lived in Dorchester for two years and my experience cannot be worse. I have lived in professionally managed apartment in San Francisco, Hong Kong and New York. I feel like home in those apartments. I value amenities, community, and service quality and friendliness of the building- NONE of which Dorchester provided. Amenities are old and sad, no community space, and most horrible thing: people from the building office are rude, arrogant, and treat residents like prisoners. The only good thing about Dorchester is its location. Rittenhouse Sq is great and super convenient! Especially in the summer. I love walking to Joe Coffee and sitting in front of the park. That being said, there are plenty other options around Rittenhouse Sq. Some points to highlight: * Gym is ridiculously small and tight in the basement. The equipment seemed to be used for 10+ years. There is no yoga room, no fresh air, no view, not even space to put my own yoga mat. And you are paying $15 per month for that!! * There is no lounge/work space to host friends, work, or mingle with other residents. Every two days I have to go across the park to Claridge, which has great lounge area and proper gym, to hang out with people I met there. * False fire alarm rings all the time. Twice in 4am in the morning and last for 15mins. It is super loud and annoying. * Move-in charge of $300 is ridiculous. They didn't help you on anything besides reserving you a freight lift. * There are always maintenance issues. The garbage disposal in kitchen sink worked no more than 3 months in total out of my two years stay; I had a hole in ceiling in bathroom because the leak upstairs; shower has been leaking; and I have changed light switchers multiple times. * Dorchester has more restrictions and rules than my dorm in college does. And building office here is sneakier than dorm security. I got a warning when my friend came to pick up her stuff in early morning because the manager spot her on security camera and thought her stayed over. On the other hand, there are many times delivery guys came right to my door without verified by the security desk, while my friends were always troubled by key fobs because guest pass never works. I don't think the managers care about security anywhere close to controlling their residents. When I needed help, Dorchester didn't let me to push cart from back door to front door because the cart was not allowed to leave the building. The Rittenhouse Savoy, on the other hand, was very kind to lend their cart to my friend who lives there to help me. Overall, my experience at Dorchester is miserable. I was constantly reminded that I was managed by staff instead of severed by them. I am happy that I left Dorchester and moved into a building that actually cares its residents and treats them like families. You will never get that from Dorchester. read more

DO NOT RENT APT 501. DO NOT RENT APT 501. DO NOT RENT APT 501. Save yourself the hassle of a lying, dishonest landlord who steals your money and doesn't deliver on anything she says she's going to do...no heat during the winter, clogged bathroom drains, a broken fridge and a leaking HVAC unit are just a few of the issues with this unit. Oh yes, and the insanely loud trash trucks right below the apt, overlooking the loading dock... read more

The Dorchester is probably the greatest place to live on Rittenhouse Square. I cannot say enough nice things about the building. The staff is exceptional. We lived here for two years and loved every minute of it (2011-2013). We have since moved to another building on the square, and while it is very nice, we miss the Dorchester. After our new lease is up, we will be moving back. The Dorchester has a complete maintenance staff, which some other buildings in Rittenhouse Square do not have. For example, we had a new outlet put in our apartment to accommodate my wife's hairdryer. They did it within 24 hours, no need for us to call an electrician. The Dorchester also has a package room and they will call you anytime you have a package. Since the package room is separate, you never see boxes all over the place and the person who works the desk is able to be there all the time, so you can feel safe there, too! On the subject of safe, they have cameras everywhere, and controlled access key fobs for late at night and for the service elevators. Also, there are always a bunch of doormen working so you always have someone to help you when you need it. They also have designated service elevators so you never find yourself riding in an elevator with one of those giant carts, tons of washers and dryers in the basement if you don't have a set in your unit, and parking right in the building with an elevator that takes you from the garage to the lobby. They also have mail slots in every hallway, so you don't need to go downstairs to mail a letter. There is also a fax machine at the front desk, so you can send a fax at 3am if you wanted to. Simply put, if you are thinking about living on Rittenhouse Square, you should definitely look at the Dorchester. I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather live. read more

With the exception of the friendly doormen, this building is awful. Management and maintenance decide to control your air and all of the sudden there can be hot air coming out of your vent. They do not let you manage your thermostat and instead make the air the warmest when you are actually home and want it to be the coolest. They claim it is when it drops below 60 they have set the computer, but this has happened closer to 70 degrees. I fear there is a lot of mold in the building as they do not properly dry out and let the air conditioner run. Do not claim I control my own thermostat when you actually change the quality of air coming out without my consent! Oh, and don't even get me started about the mice! read more

The Dorchester should be one of the best apartment buildings in Philly but it is far from it. Each apartment is individually owned, so your comfort will vary, one thing that will not is the never ending, sleep depriving noise and disruption. The noise from the street ricochets up to the highest floors. You will likely be woken every morning at around 4.50 am by a garbage truck. The building is also a constant construction site. No sooner has one renovation or repair finished than another begins. Being an old building, there are many repairs needed and none of them happen quickly due to the extreme ineptitude of the building management (more on them later). If you have allergies, the constant dust from construction and the dirty filters in the HVACs may also make you miserable. It's sad because the location is great and views from the awesome rooftop pool and some of the apartments are fantastic. The apartments themselves are a good size. The basement gym is terrible - don't even bother paying the additional fee, however minimal. If you have an SUV, you will need to find parking elsewhere as the building car park doesn't fit anything larger than a sedan (parking is approx. $300 p/m in Rittenhouse area). Be prepared that everything is an additional fee - gym, bike storage (no bike entry through the lobby!), pool, car park, internet. They will fine you if you break one of their many, many rules. Here's the worst part - the management are incredibly rude and unhelpful. If you have a problem, they will make it your problem, they are not interested in helping. The building is run like a business, they have no concern for their tenants comfort or safety. I read reviews about the management before I moved in and dismissed them as I have never had an issue with a management company in 20 years of renting. These people are a scary mix of unskillful, unprofessional and ignorant. Hopefully the owners association will listen to the many unhappy tenants and give the management contract to a company that actually likes people and managing tenants. Do yourself a favor and don't rent in this building. It's an expensive nightmare. read more

Great building in the number one location. Reasonable sale and rental prices right on " the square!". Great staff.

It is really hard to beat the location and services at the Dorchester in terms of prices. Rooftop pool, underground parking (on-site) and a great variety of units. The condos here generally sell well...always have through the years read more

I live in The Dorchester. The construction that has been going on outside for months on end is driving me crazy. The construction begins every morning at 7 and continues until 5pm. It`s insanely loud. It`s ridiculous. You would not believe how loud it is. The other poster who complained about how anyone can get into the apartments is right, too. They don`t stop anybody. The fire alarm still goes off all the time. For the amount of money I paid to live here, this certainly doesn`t feel like luxury. read more

I have never felt so unwelcome in my own home. It's true that The Dorchester is among Philadelphia's most famous and prestigious residencies. It's also true that is' well known among the realty community that The Dorchester it's the most unfriendly, unwelcoming, unaccommodating building in Philadelphia. Rules. There are so, SO many rules and the front desk staff's primary job seems to be keeping an eye out for rule breakers so they can be charged the proper fees. Even if there's no particular rule about what you're doing, if it can be interpreted as objectionable, they will make up a charge for it. -i.e. you can throw away small furniture if it fits in the dumpsters. If you throw away too MUCH small furniture, you'll get a made up charge (even if its a few pieces that fit comfortably in the dumpster with room to spare) -i.e. if a concierge catches your friend taking their tiny dog up to your apt even for a 5 minute tour of the place, you'll get a call from the evil director stating that if the dog isn't removed from the building within 5 minutes, a bill for $90 will be hand delivered every hour until it's gone. -i.e. if you take too much stuff with you on a trip on a weekend, you may be told "what you're doing is technically moving. your activities are on camera and you may be charged" Concierges don't pay any attention to who's walking past the front desk. My friends were never ONCE stopped, even on their first visit (even my fully pierced, fully tattooed friends who would normally turn heads did not grab the slightest bit of attention from the concierges. Ever.) Windows and fire alarm is faulty. When I moved in, the fire alarm would go off probably every other day. Since then it's down to maybe once a week. Long time residents never bother leaving their apartments for alarms. If there ever is a real emergency, many people could die because of this. Original windows are corroded and don't open and close like they are supposed to. Winters with the old windows are unbearably cold since the AC/Heat units are also original and aren't very good to begin with. They are also very noisy and break down often, requiring constant maintenance. Speaking of constant maintenance. The other reviewer cited that as a plus? I imagine the alternative (letting everything break) would be worse, but consider what constant maintenance means. Water is shut off at LEAST once a month. Maintenance staff and inspectors barge into your apartment many, many times a year. Sometimes refusing to come back later (oh, it's cool, I don't need clothes, just come on in and take a look) The building's corrupt. The Dorchester has their own contractors they use. These contractors operate on VERY specific guidelines made by the building. Which means, you CAN use another contractor, but most likely they will not be able to follow the building's guidelines (ie- they don't use a particular brand of sealant on concrete, so the building won't allow it). Since you can't get any other estimates for contract work, the building's contractors charge exorbitant prices for their work. Want to get rid of those faulty windows? $30,000. Want to patch up the cracks on your balcony that absolutely everyone has due to the railings rusting and pushing up the concrete? Two tiny concrete patches = $7000. Seven thousand dollars. Again, you can't use another contractor, because the Dorchester's guidelines dictate that you HAVE to have the concrete sealed with a high-tech, purely cosmetic sealant that ONLY these contractors use. 7000 bucks for two, 1"x12" cracks. The Dorchester is a horrible, horrible place to live. The bureaucratic, unfriendly, corrupt staff constantly go out of their way to remind you how little control you have over your own home. I've lived in luxury buildings before where the staff treat you like family or even royalty. During the 5 years I lived at The Dorchester, I never once felt the staff was interested in helping me or making my habitat more comfortable. They are like traffic cops eager to hand out tickets for j-walking. I can't express enough the bitterness I feel for having felt so unwelcome in my own home. read more

There is construction everywhere. I moved here to have a quiet place to study and work; instead, all I can do is wait for the construction workers to leave. It is a serious problem. read more