839 Diversey Apartments

First, some positives:

Having toured other buildings with similarly priced studios in Lincoln Park/Lakeview, I think that this is one of the best options. The building is clean and I have had no issues with any pests. Management has been responsive and maintenance issues have mostly been resolved quickly. The location is great, with the Brown/Purple Line, several bus lines (8, 22, 36, 76), Trader Joe’s, Target, Walgreens, etc all in short walking distance.

The building is renovated, though... probably not as recently as the photos may suggest. My floors and cabinets have some noticeable chips, and there are a lot of stray paint spots all over the floor and around the edges of the trims/doors; with the gray paint on white floor/trim, the unit always looks a little dirty.

A few warnings for anyone looking to move here:

Be mindful of the direction your unit faces! Mine faces a brick wall, so despite having large windows, I had very little natural light most days/times of day. In such small units, this can be a little depressing, especially since there’s no rooftop or other lounge area.

Also, be aware that the walls in this building are extremely thin! You will hear every cough, laugh, and conversation had by everyone on your floor. If your neighbors talk on the phone or have people over a lot, you will hear them word for word. If someone has maintenance doing a 9am construction project, you might as well be having your own construction project. This is not an exaggeration; I can hear my neighbor’s shower turn on, the whole floor’s alarms, music from the building next door, the garbage trucks in the alley, etc. If noise is an issue for you at all, I would avoid this building!
Read More