Cobbler Square Loft Apartments

Pros: Great location! Super close to grocery stores, shopping, restaurants, and CTA. The area is also very walkable and safe. The doormen are always super friendly and really helpful.
Cons: THIN walls. At least 4−5x a week we are kept up/​woken up by neighbors partying or having sex. That being said, the complex allows residents to rent out their apartments to Airbnb, so it is constantly filled with people who disrespect the space and people that actually live there.
Ultimately not worth what they charge for rent, and will not be resigning our lease.

Living in Cobbler Square has been nothing but enjoyable. Management has always been helpful, and I’ve felt warmth from the concierge.
Some reviews that I read before moving in mentioned a loud building with paper thin walls. I would have to wholeheartedly disagree. I have not heard any noise unusual for a space that people live (acceptable music volumes, voices, etc). While I can hear my neighbors at times through the wall, it is not so loud that I feel inconvenienced.
The summers here are fun, with plenty of energy on the rooftop deck. Having a community space with pool table and shuffleboard allows for plenty of enjoyable nights, and I met some great neighbors who are now friends.
Location is awesome. In the heart of Old Town, with plenty of action in both directions. Also just a 5 monute walk to the Red line and the Brown line, allowing convenient access to the city via CTA.
I would highly recommend this building, and think that its highly unlikely that you would have any regrets in making this your next home.

My husband, my dog and I can rate our experience at Cobbler Square nothing short of outstanding.
Here’s a window into why:
— Any and all requests from replacement light bulbs to deep cleanings have been met with both timely and accommodating, quality service. The maintenance team has gone above and beyond customer service. The building’s cleaning crew maintains this loft building brilliantly.
— The front desk/​concierge team have become our community and friends. They are the first people to wish us a good day when we leave for work in the morning and the first to wish us a warm welcome upon our return. Our packages are cared for and handled professionally and any support needed with guests, parking, etc. has been met with great customer service.
— Our experience with the leasing team — Heather and John — has far surpassed any experience we’ve ever had in the myriad of cities and buildings we’ve lived in. They are not only easy to work, rational and fair. Further, their responsiveness both in terms of timing and customer service has made us not want to look elsewhere. It’s such a pleasure to have them as neighbors and advocates on our behalf, I cannot say enough good things.
— Our 2 bedroom 1 bath unit has been fantastic. We’ve not had noise issues. On one occasion in ²¹⁄₂ years I had one noise complaint and it was handled immediately with professionalism and courtesy.
— Our neighbors are friendly and respectful.
— Location is awesome. Great restaurants and close to downtown. Everything is walkable.
Cannot recommend this community enough and are thankful to all who have made our time here exceptional.

It has turned in to an Airbnb hotel. The walls are already paper thin, so you hear everything your neighbors do. Only now, the neighbors are tourists who are trying to live it up. Every Friday and Saturday night we are kept awake until 4 or 5 in the morning by parties or loud sex. It has forced us to move. It’s unlivable.

I have lived here for almost 5 years and am planning to renew my lease again. It is a great building to call home! The concierge staff is wonderful and truly cares about the residents. The maintenance and housekeeping staff does a great job and in a timely manner too. Everyone in the office is always willing to help you or just even chat for a little to see how you are doing. The uniqueness of the building is great and I could not ask for a better place to call home until I find something to purchase.

I’ve lived in Cobbler Square for the past two years, and my husband has been here for seven years. When we got married and were looking for our first apartment together, we searched all over the city and in the end, we just couldn’t leave Cobbler Square. Why? First and foremost, the community. The concierge team is outstanding — they know us by name, and consistently go out of their way to make our lives easier. The housekeeping staff is always smiling and somehow manage to keep the myriad hallways and common areas of this sprawling complex spotless and sparkling at all times. The leasing office is full of friendly and cheerful people who are always ready to help us out with lease questions, parking, etc. We’ve made some great friends living here, and we love our apartment. Our apartment has everything we wanted in a loft — exposed brick, beautiful wood-​beamed ceilings, a lofted upper level, and new appliances + granite countertops. Best of all, since we rent, we have an on-​site maintenance crew that can fix anything and everything — typically within 24 hours. We love it here!

I just moved in a month ago and have been enjoying it so far.
Pros
–Social community and everyone has been very nice so far
–Door staff and sales staff have been very relaxed and helpful
–Common areas (party room, deck) have been great
–No issues with street parking
–Location
Cons
–The walls seem to be a little thin, depending on what type of neighbors you have that could be a problem
–Pricey. but right now I see the value in paying a little extra for location and community
I will post an update once I get some more time under my belt.

Cobbler Square is awesome. I moved in about three months ago. You cant beat the price or the location. The sedgewick stop is a block away, which makes the commute to the loop relatively easy. It is also right in the heart of Old Town, so there is plenty to do. The sun deck/​hot tub/​lounge are great especially if you have a group of friends over. The walls are thin, but they are not nearly as bad as everyone makes them out to be. I am yet to have an issue and I am a light sleeper. The leasing company is AMAZING. Tim, Heather, and Jamie are always more than willing to help with any issues that come up. They are also unbelievably accomadating, whether it be asking them to have more shelves put in the closets, installing a wine rack, and even painting one of our walls. They also throw community events that are catered with food and drinks (this month alone there are 4 events), which is great chance for those who are new to the city to meet people. The ONLY downside is the fact that no dogs are allowed. Other than no dogs being allowed, Cobbler is an absolutely great place to live.
Oh and a shout out to Theo at the front desk too. He is the man!

Don’t typically write reviews… but i figured it would help for anyone looking to move here. This is in no particular order, take it for what its worth.
— Staff, great. No complaints there. Doormen, fantastic.
— Maintenance crew, solid. Crew is always on top of getting things fixed when its requested.
— Property is well kept.
— Our particular studio, a little noisy given the construction and type of building this is. You can definitely hear neighbors when they are being loud. But, luckily for us, our neighbors are decently quite. One is a little noisy on the occasional weekend, but for us, we aren’t too bothered. One note about this is that there are a couple styles of apartments depending on which wing you’re in. The one with traditional wood/​brick construction is the noisier option. There are other wings that have solid concrete walls. I would recommend visiting the apartments during hours when its likely that tenants are home.
–The location here is so good in my opinion. Red line is farther than i would REALLY want, but I’m being picky.
–The neighborhood a couple blocks behind the complex (west) seems a bit sketchy, but we’ve never seen or heard any riffraff.
–Cabs are always on the street, no problem finding rides.
–No dogs allowed, that is a bummer.

I was very hesitant moving in this place after reading the reviews. I am very surprised now that I live here. I live on the top floor so that could play into the noise factor. Or maybe my neighbors are extremely quiet but I have never heard a peep from either sides of me. The staff, door and management office, have been nothing but friendly and helpful. The location is good in the day but I am a young woman I wouldn’t suggest walking alone at night. I’ve never had an issue but it just doesn’t seem like a great idea. Love the restaurants and little shops in the area and the redline is only a 8 min walk which I take everyday. Overall I am very pleased.

I had such complicated questions regarding renewing my lease (because I never want to leave!), and Tim and Heather in the Leasing Office were so incredibly helpful. They made the process so much easier, and they’re both a great reminder of why I love Cobbler Square so much.
If you’re looking to move to Cobbler Square, request Tim or Heather for help! You won’t be disappointed!

Rented a studio on AirBnB, for the weekend. Worked well for us and we paid lots less than a downtown hotel, and got a full kitchen in the deal. Great location, lots of amenities in the area, always a cab around, plenty to do and see within walking distance. Front desk was very accommodating.
We drove in from out of town. Parking is a big challenge just so you know.
We’d do it again just for the location.

I really wish I could give this place 5 stars. There are so many awesome things about it but unfortunately the cons (as few as there are) out way the Pros. After reading the rest of these reviews I can say nothing has really changed and they are all accurate. I’ve lived here for almost two years, and can give you the current run down:
Pros:
* Front desk staff is AMAZING. Every person that works the desk is polite, nice and does a great job. They make Cobbler Square a better place to live. They will become your friends while you are here.
* Leasing company has never given me a bad vibe; however in the two years I’ve been here, the staff has turned over a few times. There have been a few issues that I’ve seen happen in the building, loud music, complaints about smoking, (which is allowed in your apartment BTW) and they have done a great job of resolving it.
* I’ve had minimal issues w/​my place but the maintenance crew has always fixed things fast. One night my A/​C went out and they did a great job making sure it was handled, even though it was after hours. Anything that broke, (lights, microwave, etc. was fixed within 24 hours.)
* The gym is amazing, and most of the time all the machines are working properly. There is an abundance of laundry rooms and very rarely will you have to wait for a machine to open up.
* Location– Wells Street has some of the best bars and restaurants in the area. You are close to numerous buses, the red and brown line.
* Always (minus rush hour) cabs outside.
* 10 minute walk to the beach.
* Wells Street Art Festival right outside.
Free Wifi in the Lobby
Business Center w/​internet and a printer.
* Roof deck always has some kind of social scene during the summers.
Leasing Company will do fun events throughout the year.
Cons:
* Anything East of Wells is safe. Anything west of Wells (starting at Sedgwick) is a little sketchy. I’ve had friends mugged walking to the brown line. I saw girls post this same review two years ago and nothing has changed. It’s not an area you would want to walk around during the night time. This also results in people walking a few blocks to Wells and harassing you for money in front of the complex. (Probably a few times a month.)
* NOISE: This will be your deal breaker. Even if you love this place as much as I did, every review is accurate. Basically picture an apartment with no walls, and that’s what you have. Just to give you some examples of what to expect, here are some of the things that’s happened to me these last two years. Please note I’m not sitting here waiting to listen to things… This is just me living in my apartment without anything like a TV on.
o I don’t have to set alarms because my upstairs neighbor gets up the same time and sets her cell phone alarm to go off. Yes cell phone… it will sound like it’s your cell phone right next to your bed.
o You will hear people pee from all directions, a lot.
o Blenders, Shake Makers, fans will sound like your apartment is falling down.
o You will hear your neighbors having sex, and they will hear you having sex. Just accept that now.
o If your neighbor talks on speakerphone on their cell phone, you will hear both him or her and the person they are talking to clearly. It’s to the point where you could join in the conversation, heck one time I was on the phone and my neighbor knocked and did.
o If you have a neighbor that plays music, talks loud, has people over a lot, you are screwed. Again picture living next to three or four strangers w/​no walls.
o The building may tell you they have put noise insulation in or they have never heard of these noise complaints. These are both lies, I just don’t think there is anything you can do to fix it.
o Some people have suggested getting an end unit, I have one and it’s just as bad. You hear the doors from the hallway slam and shake your apartment. You hear the hallway traffic all night long. Any conversation in the hallway will sound like it’s happening in your apartment.
o If your apartment faces the courtyard, you will hear anything outside. People could be having a casual (speaking low) conversation sitting on a bench a few floors down and you’ll hear what they are saying clearly.
You will hear what’s on TVs, stereos, and even computers on the lowest volume levels.
o I have never met two sides of my apartment neighbors, but know their names, where they work, the problems they’ve had these last few years, their interests, their friends, etc. Again, this is not me being creepy stalker, just me living in my apartment.
Everything about this place is great except the noise and unfortunately it will become a problem for you even if you have the quietest neighbors ever. If that doesn’t bother you than by all means live here! You will have a great time! If you are a light sleeper or get annoyed with things like that, run… run fast and far.

One year later made the HUGE mistake of signing on another year. We changed units hoping that would solve some of our water ceiling issues and noise problems. Well a few weeks into our new lease and water starts gushing down the walls onto our entertainment center killing our ps3 and wii plus our shelving unit.
We have now been unable to live in our living room or kitchen for a week and when I called management they told us it was our problem and to call our insurance company and that they would not be helping any of the multiple units that got flooded last week exceptt to pay deductibles. The manager John also disclosed that our apartment had previous water leaking issues but of course it was different than this time (haha) so they didn’t have to disclose it in the walk through. He should only be managing a small 20 unit building at best, he is in way over his head anyways on a daily basis. At least the last manager would try to help.
DON’T MOVE HERE! THEY ARE CROOKS! THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT THE TENANTS, ONLY 2k A MONTH!!!
Please tell everyone you know not to rent here. premium pricing for sub par service!

I wanted so badly to love Cobbler Square. There is no denying that the space, especially the courtyard, is beautiful. The common spaces are first rate. And the doormen are uniformly excellent, friendly and helpful. Theo in particular deserves a huge shout out.
But the cons vastly outweigh the pros. The office staff is interested in planning parties, renting empty apartments, and little else. We had problems with rats– they lived directly outside of our unit (D110) for months, and my polite but frequent requests to the management office to do something about them fell on deaf ears. Over and over I asked them to adress the issue, mentioning that the hole was a foot from our door, that I saw rats nearly every night I came home, and that I would hear them inside the walls. Over and over I was told they would «get on it,» or that «the exterminators [were] coming,» only to be blown off. They never did anything.
Once the rats finally chewed into my home and I went directly to the head maintenance guy. He did fill the hole that day, but as he did so he showed me the half dozen other holes he had filled in that same unit; meaning that the staff was aware that this unit had rat problems in the past, making their negligence that much worse in my eyes. I wrote an angry letter and put it on the building managers desk, which finally made him come hat-​in-​hand to my door to apologize, but all they did was put a few crummy traps around the courtyard and a few bags of rocks over the rat holes. The rats tunneled around these bags in a matter of days, and my return visits to the office once again are falling on deaf ears. I’m not even upset about the rats– it’s a ground unit, in the city, it’s not a huge surprise to see rats– but I was/​am livid about the complete lack of effort to fix the problem. For «luxury living,» the lack of customer service is truly astonishing. It’s like they thought it wasn’t a real problem.
Other than that, other Unilocalers have sussed out the main problems with the property; thin walls mean we hear every word our neighbors say, cheap materials mean the details of the apartment don’t match up to the building’s general quality, and the HVAC unit that points directly into our lofted bedroom means that in the winter our bedroom is 80 degrees but the living room 60. Those problems alone probably rate the place a ³⁄₅ stars.
There are many good things about the property. But for the price you pay, and ohbytheway they raised the rent on our apartment an additional $ 85 a month when they tried to get me to renew (ha!), it is absolutely not worth it. Avoid at all costs.

The door staff is the only thing that made a year here tollerable. Non-​existant/​conscious management will more often than not bring a feeling of bewilderment to yourself. I would never pick and prod at specific people or processes; Just understand the level of frustration needed to accumulate to take time and warn people of the severity of discomfort Cobbler Square provides. I wish zero stars were available. I have never and would never publically denounce anything — As you can see from my other posts, this was just too much to handle.
Do not live here. You will regret it.

I do like living here. The door guys are very nice and the couple times I needed some maintenance issue taken care of they were done so quickly.
There is a noise issue and wish they would tell my neighbor who blasts his music at 2am on the weekends to turn it down. A couple times he has since I think other people called about it but sometimes it goes on forever. It’s only on the weekends so I just tolerate it.
The location is the best things about the building since it’s on Wells with bars and restaurants within a block. The Starbucks at the corner is 24 hours, it’s right in between the red and brown lines, a block or two away from Clark and LaSalle where you can catch the 22, 36, 151, or 156 buses, and less than a ten minute walk to North Avenue Beach and Lincoln Park.
It could be better which is why I didn’t give it 5 stars. The insulation/​noise issue is one thing, no in unit laundry, the elevator is slow and sometimes broken, and the amount of natural light I get is minimal due to not having many windows.

This is an update now that I have lived here for an year and a half.
I hate this building and cannot wait to move! Unfortunately since I am looking for a place to buy I can’t really move out until I buy a place.
I want to warn potential renters! This place looks nice but it is so ghetto. The people that work in the office are half wits! Can you tell that I am frustrated? Read my previous review.
FYI: The F building elevator will be out until September. If you live in the F building and ride a bike, your life will be miserable!
Also, the HVAC system is so loud, if you are watching TV, you have to turn the volume up a lot.
DO NOT LIVE HERE!

You can do so much better!
Luckily, I no longer live here, moved out after they were going to raise my rent $ 200 a month. They were trying to say that they would also give me a free month’s rent. Problem is that when I moved in, I received a free month’s rent, so that cancelled that out.
Let’s break it down:
PROS
— Great location if you’re into that location, that is. (For me, it was almost too crowded and stuffy, but great restaurants everywhere)
— Parking on the street is feasible if you get a permit and don’t drive everyday
— The units are neat and different for the area
— The laundry room is big and usually clean
— The fitness room is big and there’s some good equipment in there
— The doormen I dealt with were great and would even help me carry stuff
— Love the courtyard
CONS
— The price was not worth it. I didn’t realize that until I was looking for different places and found something much bigger, cheaper, and in a nicer neighborhood
— The walls are thin (I lived right across from the laundry room and you could hear people at all times of the night)
— No good views; shoot there were hardly any windows
— Even with the remodeling, the materials are cheap and you can tell
— The sales office will try to finagle you
— The rooftop’s okay, but it closes early and it always seemed like something was broken (bathroom, hot tub, etc)
— Sedgwick is not the safest street at night, so would have to walk around North Ave to Wells if getting off the brown line
TIPS
— Live in building G (that’s where the laundry room and fitness center are)
— Get a corner unit
— Negotiate (they need tenants and they’re up for negotiations. Or try going through an apartment company that can negotiate for you)

Another word to the wise besides the horrible noise issues (gross!-see review below). This goes out to any current tenants looking to renew their lease.
When I had the option to renew my lease after the first year of living here, they offered me a $ 500 dollar incentive, which I would receive if I did opt to renew. I did renew and I got this «incentive». Turns out the incentive is just your security deposit, which every tenant will get back (normally within 90 days of moving out) regardless if they renew or not (unless you completely trash/​destroy your place.) The management just put a fancy spin on this so that you will think you are getting some reward or bonus. Real sneaky, Cobbler Square.