1500 Locust Apartments

This apartment building is in a great location in the city and close to a number of restaurants and bars. Pros: Updated apartments with new appliances and hardwood floors, great city views, rooftop deck and pool as well as a gym Cons: Rent is on the higher side, parking is really expensive and limited in the garage attached to the building, elevators can take a while and lately the air conditioning has been out in the hallways.

1500 Locust is located in the heart of central Philadelphia. Our apartment on the 42nd floor has the uncontested best view in city. Every evening after a hectic day, it feels like we can solve any problem and dream of the future as we gaze over the cityscape from our roomy terrace. Combine this experience with a rooftop pool and sun deck, well-equipped gym with the same incredible view, apartment upgraded finishes, and a professional staff that keeps all CLEAN and well-managed, and its impossible not to want to call this home.Read More

DO NOT move in to this building. It may look nice - but that is because the building spends all their time and money fixing the potential-customer-facing things (i.e. the lobby, the mail room, etc.). They SHOULD be spending their money on fixing the things that make living here extremely frustrating for residents. First, the elevators that are abysmal. During any rush hour (i.e. ~8am or ~5pm), expect to wait for well over 15 min. One elevator was broken for over 3 months, leaving just 3 elevators (2 when the freight elevator was occupied) for almost 30 floors of units, which made every hour an extreme rush hour. Additionally, the fire alarm goes off in the entire building very frequently. It is a blaring alarm in every unit that can only be turned off by the fire department (so expect it to go off for around 20-30 minutes). Granted, it is sometimes the residents' fault (i.e. burning food and then opening the hall door) but many times it is because of something the apartment hasn't kept up (most recent one was because the motor for a fan in the trash room was sparking and caused a fire) or because the fire alarms are tripped in the restaurant/bars below (the alarms are connected so if it goes off down there, it goes off in every unit in the building). I understand that the fire alarm is working in accordance with the local fire code, but all that tells me is even if they fix all the self-imposed fire alarm issues, you're still going to experience the 1am fire alarm when the bar downstairs sets it off. So, there's really no getting around it. We also experienced an extensive German cockroach infestation. I understand roaches are bound to happen in the city, but the extermination company that the building employs only comes out day a week (so you better hope that they have time to get to you on that day and that you didn't just miss them by a day, or else you're living with the roaches for another week). The exterminator told me the German cockroaches are a problem in many of the units in this apartment and are notoriously hard to get rid of. The package system is also terrible. They lose packages. I have had packages accepted and never been notified about their arrival, so they sit there indefinitely (once the delivery was food, so it was ruined). I've had packages delivered to the wrong unit (and received the packages of others). I could go on and on but just do yourself a favor and ask a resident what it's like living in this building before you move in.Read More

Absolutely horrible experience. First of all, the general things: 4 elevators for 600 residents and the freight elevator is usually occupied so 3 elevators for 600 people if none are broken. I blew this off when reading reviews on this place, buy you will literally wait half an hour for an elevator at times. The gym looks nice and big, but the equipment is all old and outdated. Also, don't live on the 44th floor-the gym will be right above you. You will hear everyone dropping weights and running on the treadmill, and you will pay more for it. This is advertised as a luxury apartment-it is not. It's a building that was built in the 30s and got a facelift. There's no central heating/air, creepy old stairwells, at least one elevator breaks monthly, there is a pest issue, plumbing issues, and electric issues. My personal unit: I moved in to a unit with a broken shower, air conditioning unit, washer/dryer, and electric outlet. The AC unit you could see was broken from across the room so clearly they don't so much as do walk throughs prior to moving their next resident in. And when I had maintenance come to fix it, they took the slats off my AC unit and did not replace it, told me to leave the cupboard open for my dryer to work (didn't work-had to have it replaced. New one still takes 3 hours to dry clothes), did not fix the issue wherein my shower would fluctuate between scalding hot and freezing cold instead of dispensing warm water, and reset my electric outlet that was shorting anytime anything was plugged into it instead of replacing it. I finally got after management who sent the maintenance manager who got the shower fixed (although it is now reverting to the same issue as before) and got my AC unit replaced, but for the outlet and washer/dryer, I had to have my kitchen rewired because it was never updated (despite the unit supposedly being remodeled). Oh also, the new dryer was installed such that I have to manually empty water from it ever 4-5 loads because it was not set up to auto-drain (which is an option for this dryer, I looked it up) and maintenance refuses to fix it. Now on top of that, they want to charge me to break my lease. This place is not worth your money or your time. You can find much better for the same price or cheaper in the area, and you should. Read More

I lived in 1500 Locust Apartments for nearly 2-years and could not have been more frustrated / disappointed with a building. The individuals in the leasing office have provided me with incorrect information numerous times. The elevator situation is out of hand, with 3 functioning elevators for 600 units. There is construction always being done to some area of the building causing loud noises and closed down common areas. I highly recommend moving anywhere else but 1500 Locust Apartments.