The Residences at the Columbus Building, Rochester NY

*Unfortunately this place is NOT worth living in. *
-Elevators have been breaking down for the past 4 months. There a point that no elevators were working. There has been only ONE elevator working for 3 months now and that’s the elevator that people also use to move in and move out. The building has yet to be informed about what’s going on.
-There was an electrical fire in the basement where we had to evacuate for 2 hours and we were never notified about what actually happened. A firefighter friend informed us instead.
-A few cars parked in front of the building (including mine) had our back window smashed one night. Parking is a block away and it takes about 7-10 minutes to get there.
-Two exposed pipes in my apartment had leaks.
-Leasing manager said there was no availability to use freight elevator and she would not be able to make an exception or else she would have to make an exception for everyone else. Requested to bring our sofa 11 flights of stairs instead.
-The list goes on and on but needless to say, please reconsider because this isn’t a necessarily a place you’d want to live in.

I've lived here for over two years now. The apartment is pretty nice and I luckily got a great view. However, right now BOTH of the elevators are broken and this unfortunately happens pretty regularly. When they are working, they do NOT feel safe because they make horrible screeching noises and move unpredictably. Also, usually only one is working. This means you are sometimes waiting over 10 mins for the elevator to even come (if it ever does). If you want to come home after a long day of work and be forced to walk up 12 flights of stairs and then do it all over again to take your dog out. Live here. People who live here complain to the management all the time about the elevators. They are cheap and refuse to get them properly fixed. The whole place is VERY run down- the washers and dryers are always broken, there are mice everywhere, and the entryway furniture is all broken. It's an embarrassment considering how much people pay for these apartments. DON'T live here.

OH, also, there are regularly homeless people asleep in the lobby. The building is not safe. Homeless men and other random people off the street regularly come in the building (the doors require key fobs but often do not close all the way because they are broken/old), get on the elevator, and wander the floors. I've even heard they try doors to see if any are open.

Responsive management and maintenance, gorgeous apartments, great views. Front lobby has been nicely redecorated (Q4 2019) and is now on par with apartment spaces. Elevators remain quite slow and break down sometimes, as noted in other comments, but rarely are both broken at once. Gym and pool both closed due to COVID but do exist and are planned to reopen when safe to do so. High ceilings, brand new stainless steel kitchen appliances (including full size range, fridge/freezer, and dishwasher), and modern bathroom furnishings in all apartments. Window AC units in all apartments. Much more closet space than average for apartments of this size. Highly recommend overall.

Hello,

I have been in this apartment for about 6 months and feel that this is a great time to share my experience. 4 stars is definitely a generous rating. There have been some ups and downs since moving here. But overall the positives have definitely outweighed the negatives. When I first moved in there was some turnover with the management which caused some issues with the maintenance of the building. Including issues with the elevator. I also experienced a problem with moving in because the manager had gotten terminated without my knowledge and she failed to share her calendar with any other employees that week. So my move in people were at a loss with my furniture and we needed someone to operate the freight elevator. Dealt with some drama regarding that and had to pay extra money out of pocket to get that resolved. The management did not compensate me for that. We’ve also had some ongoing issues with smoking in the building but that is to be expected when you live in a building as large as this one. Other than that I was told that a pool was to be ready for tenants to use 6 months ago in the basement of the building and that promise has not been followed through on. As well as a roof top deck. They are also not making the best use of the front lobby space. To make for a a better community environment they could have a company put a pool table there at no charge and the company could collect the quarters for it. Please contact me with questions regarding that. Parking is awful and you have to walk 5 mins. They need to take charge of the space across the street and not charge us an extra 100$ a month for that space. When I started here I signed a two year lease. Aside from those very honest points I must say location is everything and these people negotiate very well. You can move into a BEAUTIFUL apartment! That has been updated very well! The views are spectacular which is all I wanted going into this! Maintenance has been back on track for the majority of my experience now and the new property manager has been with the company for a long time and knows her stuff. They are all very kind, professional, and hard working. Many of the tenants are young, impatient, and this may be there first apartment experience in downtown. Please be aware of that. My honest negative points should be considered. But overall your needs will be taken care of. Whenever you have an issue within the apartment you use the portal online to report it and they take care of every issue promptly. It’s easy to make payments digitally and laundry is on site. We don’t pay for utilities and parking is cheap! Check this place out it’s definitely worth it if you’re looking for an economical modern apartment with a gorgeous downtown view in a great location! I was told that I will be able to negotiate my rent if there is an increase during my renewal at my two year mark. Hoping they don’t do that to me because I am planning on staying here for years! I was in my last apartment for almost 6 years!

Truthfully, I can’t wait to move out of this building. The apartment it’s self is a beautiful setting INSIDE your apartment. The elevator is dirty, the rugs are dirty. The elevator breaks down ALL the time where you have to take the stairs then can’t even access your floor because the fobs doesn’t work. Moreover, my power went out about 9 times since I’ve moved here, haven’t even been here a year. The first staff in the office building was soooo great! Whenever we had issues maintenance came the first day. The last maintenance request we put in we waited over a week and had to keep asking when was our work order going to be complete. Then we went through about 3 different employees in the office building now so I can’t even keep up. We have mice in the building. My neighbor had to put a mice trap on the floor to catch a mice then I’ve NEVER had roaches ever. We’ve killed multiple roaches in our apartment building, the building was supposedly bombed but who knows. Another thing we went like a week with little to NO water pressure in the ENTIRE BUILDING! How terrible! Last thing, we were promised a pool when we first moved in almost a year ago and we still have not gotten that pool. I’m sitting here writing this now as the power in my room went out and I’m extremely annoyed! I honestly cannot wait to move! I recommend this building just because everything is included within the price and the inside and also the lobby area is nice. If had the opportunity again I honestly would not move here.

Posting this anonymously because I still live here and fear backlash. I would not recommend living here to anyone. Ever since I moved in last August, I have had nothing but problems—something new arises each month. If you’d like some examples, here they are:
1. The management has changed 3+ times in the less than a year that I have lived here.
2. In the last two weeks we have not had water for two of the days and no hot water on two other occasions. Water has been pouring out of our basement and onto the sidewalks for over a week, with no end in sight.
3. Twice in the past month, people got stuck in our elevators for HOURS. Now one is broken (it had been making loud clanging noises for 7 months) and has been condemned by the fire department. Clearly, there was oversight involved here, and it should have been fixed months ago. Now we only have one elevator working. This elevator is incredibly slow, and if you want to take the stairs up to your apartment instead of waiting for it, you can’t, because each floor’s door is locked and can not be entered with our key fob.
4. I have had two cockroach infestations, and asked for the management to alert me in advance when the exterminators were coming to my apartment. They did tell me, but not until AFTER the exterminators had entered my apartment without my permission.
5. When I first moved in, there was a security guard in the lobby every night. Given that homeless people wander in often, I cannot fathom why the management decided to get rid of the security guard or WHY they didn’t tell us that they were getting rid of him!
6. Not a single resident that I have spoken to has ever turned off their AC, not even in the dead of winter. This is because the apartments are HOT and poorly insulated.

Perhaps what is most frustrating about all of this is that these problems have been brought to the attention of the management, but nothing has been changed or improved. HOWEVER, the new management seems to really have their stuff together and have been really kind to me, so I'm hoping that the problems I have mentioned do not continue.

Sara Gosnell has really made an impact during her tenure as the property manager here! I lived here for a year and half, then left out of state. An awesome building with friendly people!

Have improved, no infestation, but, is beginning to look a little bit, run down when rent is over 750 a month, that is unacceptable. Please dont allow homeless people to enter

Live here and love here. I need some history of the building is how I hear. Summer is coming an we are at the heart of it all.

Love my apartment just moved in, can anyone tell me where exactly parking is located, been having trouble with it

At first living here we loved the layout and style of our apartment.the views are nice, that is why i gave this place at least 2 stars.since moving in 4 months ago we have had unlimited amounts of unecessary issues

-we moved in told cable was included (false)
-we could purchase green light internet (false)
-took us two months to get our gym membership that was promised at contract sign in
-took over a month to get laundry set up (btw 2 whole floors share TWO washers and dryers)
-our radiator’s broke.in living room and bedroom. (if you don’t have them on the highest level they will make a LOUD noise)
- the windows wouldn’t close properly and flooded our living area
-windows are NOT updated and will make the loudest noises with the slightest amount of wind.
- roofing is horrible, we had our whole kitchen area flooded, lasted plus 3 days without anyone fixing the issue besides vacuming up the water on the floor from the flooding.after that it took weeks for them to come and patch the cieling back up.
- walls are thin as a sandpaper! You can hear absolutley every conversation your neighbor is having.
-there is no security at the front desk during the night time like advertised and i have seen now twice a homeless man in the area, anyone can get up to all the floors.
- our most recent problem we didn’t have hot water for 3 days! And since then we have to run our water from 10-15 minutes straight in order to get hot water! I have put unlimited maintence request.
- parking is paid ontop of rent and is still like a 5 minute walk at the end of lawn st, so bringing in groceries and having guests is a hassle. (no parking for them)

we pay for parking but it is not monitored and anyone parks there.especially on the weekend good luck finding parking YOU pay for because the public or even residents whom don’t pay for parking park there.

Management has changed 3 times while living here so far and I believe that is a big reason there are so many issues. There are always turn overs, unfinished problems. Maybe once the company can keep a property manager for more than a couple months the building can start falling info place.

I really like living here (since summer of 2017). The building has 1920’s architectural integrity and the apartments are renovated keeping exposed industrial materials, which in combination with pristine white walls and euro-minimalist fixtures makes for a really pleasing aesthetic. I also appreciate the ample closet space as well as the downtown location, in easy walking distance of the Eastman Theatre, an independent movie house, a locally owned boutique grocery and some good cafes/bars. There is a membership gym in the building and a YMCA with full size pool 2 blocks away. The residents are mostly responsible young professionals and graduate students. Regarding some of the older reviews: the steam heat radiators now have thermostat control on them, and while this form of heat tends to be aggressive, I personally welcome being able to have my windows open a crack for fresh air in winter. In my opinion the management is stable, friendly and responsive.

I moved out 3 months ago and after persistent calls and emails, have still not received my promised security deposit back. I've either not received a response, or been told it's "on the way" each time I reached out.

I recently moved into the Columbus Building and the entire process from touring to signing the lease to moving in was convenient and hassle free. Sara and Tracy in the office were friendly, responsive, and accommodating throughout the entire process. I looked at many other similar buildings, and was not able to find a better value in terms of apartment size, rent, and amenities. I would recommend 50 Chestnut St to anyone interested in city living.

I'm new to the building and have had nothing but positive experiences. My aparment is in a great location, it's beautiful, spacious and I have a great view! The staff is great and thus far I have no complaints.