This summer, me and my girlfriend would like to move to Shaker Square. I like Shaker Squares walkability(Grocery store, drug store, restaurants, coffee shop, etc), access to the rapid lines(which I would be taking to CSU), and weekly farmers market. My goal is to live as close to the square as possible. I was looking at apartments and most of the ones with the best location, and nicest buildings, are run by Montlack. The reviews I have found is that they have really poor management, nothing specific to their Shaker Square locations, but still something to worry about. I was wondering if anyone on here knew of any good apartments and/or if anyone had any experience with Montlack? The Lakemore, Cormere Place, Montly, and Moreland Place all look like great buildings, with great locations, but Im scared that the management might be killer. Any suggestions or advise? Thanks!

MTS in 3.....2.....1.....

^He might not show, as I suspect the excitment might have caused a stroke.

I am surprised.  While I never lived in one of their buildings I always thought Montlack had a good reputation.

By the way, I believe MTS has a super nice place....maybe he will rent out a spare bedroom.

....but you would have to use the servants' entrance near the butler pantry.

Be careful---there are two different Montlack companies. I believe that they are both owned and operated separately by two different brothers.

 

montlack.com  and montlackrealty.com        I lived in a place owned by montlack.com and i it was run very well. They are very prompt in taking care of any maintenance issues. They had a guy on call 24 hours a day who would make any necessary repairs, etc. I know that Montlackrealty owns many properties in Shaker Square, so my guess you'd be dealing with the other company.

As a general rule, the further north and east you can go, the better.  Shaker Square is pretty decent, but it goes downhill pretty fast once you start moving west and/or south of the retail area.

 

I take it you'll be riding the Rapid to Tower City and then taking the Health Line a few blocks back to campus?  I thought about doing that when I first started going to CSU, but I've never actually made the trip so I don't know how smoothly it goes.

This summer, me and my girlfriend would like to move to Shaker Square. I like Shaker Squares walkability(Grocery store, drug store, restaurants, coffee shop, etc), access to the rapid lines(which I would be taking to CSU), and weekly farmers market. My goal is to live as close to the square as possible. I was looking at apartments and most of the ones with the best location, and nicest buildings, are run by Montlack. The reviews I have found is that they have really poor management, nothing specific to their Shaker Square locations, but still something to worry about. I was wondering if anyone on here knew of any good apartments and/or if anyone had any experience with Montlack? The Lakemore, Cormere Place, Montly, and Moreland Place all look like great buildings, with great locations, but Im scared that the management might be killer. Any suggestions or advise? Thanks!

 

If you don't mind me asking, where are you living right now?

^ I looked and montlack.com doesn't have any shaker square properties, so it would have to be with montlackrealty.

 

And I currently live in Lake County.

As a general rule, the further north and east you can go, the better.  Shaker Square is pretty decent, but it goes downhill pretty fast once you start moving west and/or south of the retail area.

Perhaps as a general rule, but the couple of apartments I looked at north of the square were less than appealing.

As a general rule, the further north and east you can go, the better.  Shaker Square is pretty decent, but it goes downhill pretty fast once you start moving west and/or south of the retail area.

Perhaps as a general rule, but the couple of apartments I looked at north of the square were less than appealing.

 

I don't pretend to be an expert on SS, but from what I do know, the apartments along the southside of Shaker west of the Square are low budget.  The apartments on the northside of Shaker both east and west of the Square are fairly high budget.  The middle of the road places is probably approaching the Square from the southeast.  Don't take my word on this, as I have never lived there and don't really get down there that much.

My experience (friends' apartments) is that while north of the square is preferred, it is like anyplace else...it depends upon the building owner.  Many of the apartments north of square are beautiful and well maintained and certain buildings should be reserved for college students (if you know what I mean).  Again, it depends on the owner like any place else.

 

About 20 years ago a buddy of mind had a place just south of the square which was an architectural gem.  However, while the building was clean, it did need updating even at that time (bath rooms and kitchens).  I am curious if any major work has been done on the building since then.

TheCLE, welcome to Urban Ohio! Have you looked along Larchmere west of North Moreland? A friend of mine lived in an apartment there about 10 years ago. I visited a few times and it seemed like a decent building in a cool area. But it was 10 years ago so my review is perishable! Although my friend moved to another area since, I continue to visit Larchmere and enjoy the neighborhood. And its an easy, safe walk to the square from there.

As a general rule, the further north and east you can go, the better.  Shaker Square is pretty decent, but it goes downhill pretty fast once you start moving west and/or south of the retail area.

Perhaps as a general rule, but the couple of apartments I looked at north of the square were less than appealing.

 

Oh, sure that's possible, I guess I should have clarified that I'm speaking strictly from a safety standpoint.  I can't comment too much on the architectural/maintenance aspect of those buildings. 

Thanks everyone for the responses.

 

@KJP, I was thinking of possibly larchmere, but wonder if the walk to the station might not be too fun during the winter months.

 

 

 

I was wondering if anyone on here who lives, or had lived on the square has any suggestions on specific buildings, and any insight on certain owners and their management. Thanks!

MTS in 3.....2.....1.....

^He might not show, as I suspect the excitment might have caused a stroke.

By the way, I believe MTS has a super nice place....maybe he will rent out a spare bedroom.

....but you would have to use the servants' entrance near the butler pantry.

 

 

...you tired bitches.  :P

This summer, me and my girlfriend would like to move to Shaker Square. I like Shaker Squares walkability(Grocery store, drug store, restaurants, coffee shop, etc), access to the rapid lines(which I would be taking to CSU), and weekly farmers market. My goal is to live as close to the square as possible. I was looking at apartments and most of the ones with the best location, and nicest buildings, are run by Montlack. The reviews I have found is that they have really poor management, nothing specific to their Shaker Square locations, but still something to worry about. I was wondering if anyone on here knew of any good apartments and/or if anyone had any experience with Montlack? The Lakemore, Cormere Place, Montly, and Moreland Place all look like great buildings, with great locations, but Im scared that the management might be killer. Any suggestions or advise? Thanks!

 

Let me be the first to welcome you to Cleveland [glow=red,2,300]BEST[/glow] neighborhood!  Be advised the closer to the square you are the more money you are going to spend.

What are you looking for?

What is budget?

Will you have a car? (I'm assuming no)

 

 

 

I haven't rented in decades but would like to address some earlier comments.

As a general rule, the further north and east you can go, the better.  Shaker Square is pretty decent, but it goes downhill pretty fast once you start moving west and/or south of the retail area.

I take it you'll be riding the Rapid to Tower City and then taking the Health Line a few blocks back to campus?  I thought about doing that when I first started going to CSU, but I've never actually made the trip so I don't know how smoothly it goes.

I disagree.  There gorgeous and huge apartments on the South side.  The Buildings on the South Side have more character, I've addressed this in other Shaker Square threads.  The thing is those on the south side tend to turn faster, more students, than those on the north side.  The apartments on the north side are more apartment homes and have tenants that have been there for decades.  IN addition their are more condos mixed in with the apartments.

 

Let me know more info and I'll give you as much info as I can.  I would also like to suggest you look at photo threads of the square and ask any particular questions.

This summer, me and my girlfriend would like to move to Shaker Square. I like Shaker Squares walkability(Grocery store, drug store, restaurants, coffee shop, etc), access to the rapid lines(which I would be taking to CSU), and weekly farmers market. My goal is to live as close to the square as possible. I was looking at apartments and most of the ones with the best location, and nicest buildings, are run by Montlack. The reviews I have found is that they have really poor management, nothing specific to their Shaker Square locations, but still something to worry about. I was wondering if anyone on here knew of any good apartments and/or if anyone had any experience with Montlack? The Lakemore, Cormere Place, Montly, and Moreland Place all look like great buildings, with great locations, but Im scared that the management might be killer. Any suggestions or advise? Thanks!

 

Let me be the first to welcome you to Cleveland [glow=red,2,300]BEST[/glow] neighborhood!  Be advised the closer to the square you are the more money you are going to spend.

What are you looking for?

What is budget?

Will you have a car? (I'm assuming no)

 

Let me know more info and I'll give you as much info as I can.  I would also like to suggest you look at photo threads of the square and ask any particular questions.

 

Thanks! I would prefer to live as close to the square as possible. Either a one bedroom or two bedroom would work. Well maintained building. Safe area. And im willing to spend up to about $800 a month rent. There will be one car for my girlfriend to use to get to work. But living here, thats about all we will need it for.

 

My main concern is finding a well maintained building, with good management, and good tenants. Montlackrealty has some great buildings, but im worried about management. I found that shakersquareapartments.com has addition apartments, but when looking them up to find reviews, I found that Ludow's Castle(one of their properties) got a poor review for bad management.

The hook with many reviews is that people tend to post them moreso when they are angry than when they are happy. I've read horrible reviews for some downtown buildings, but when I've met people who lived in them, I've said "I hear that building has a lot of problems" which resulted in the response: "I've had no problems."

A good friend of mine lives in the Lakemore building (which is a montlackrealty.com building,) and I've spent quite a bit of time there.  His only complaints about it are that the annual rent increases have gotten to the point where he thinks he could get more bang for his buck elsewhere.  He's lived in the building for about five years, I think, or maybe a bit more.

Welcome to Shaker Square and the Cleve :) I lived there my first four years in Cleveland and had a terriffic experience in the neighborhood.

 

I've never had any direct experiences with Montlack as a renter. For me, it was less their reputation and more that their price point was a little higher than in some buildings I would consider comparable. While they do operate a number of buildings in and around the Square, there are quite a few other management companies about. I lived in two different apartments, both under Capital Properties Management: One north of Larchmere along North Moreland (http://www.shakerparkeastapts.com/) and one directly across from the RTA station (http://www.shakerhouseapts.com/). Both were nice units, although Shaker House and Shaker Town House sound like they fit what you're looking for better ... right off of the Square with a door-to-rail commute of about 5 minutes.

 

At Shaker Town House, I had a really lovely one-bedroom on the top floor for $570. At Shaker Park East, we paid about $800 for a large 2-bedroom. It looks like the rates are about the same now ... one- and two-bedrooms in the $500 - $800 range. I had really great experiences with Capital Properties until I tried to get out of my lease, but I think that's understandable ... I was trying to break the lease :)

 

One of the joys and annoyances about living in a 20s-era building is that each of the units, even within the same building, is pretty unique ... My last apartment was laid out sort of like a hexagon. That means you'll undoubtedly find something to your liking, but it also requires a little more investigation on the front end. My honest recommendation would be to go through and get the numbers for several buildings and try to schedule multiple tours over a half-day. And take notes, or the apartments will run together ... Both times I've moved in, I was baffled that I had confused details about another apartment with the one I actually ended up taking :) I'd also inquire about whether there's a rooftop deck. Sounds like a frill, but being able to go up and hang out or have dinner/drinks on the roof was one of the biggest joys of living over there.

 

One more cautionary note ... Living directly on the square, the rail noise can take getting used to. During peak hours, you have a train coming through every 5 minutes or less. That's not to dissuade you from living right on the square ... Just took me some adjustment living right across the street from the station, until it eventually became background noise. Best of luck with your search - it's a really great neighborhood.

 

One of the joys and annoyances about living in a 20s-era building is that each of the units, even within the same building, is pretty unique ... My last apartment was laid out sort of like a hexagon. That means you'll undoubtedly find something to your liking, but it also requires a little more investigation on the front end. My honest recommendation would be to go through and get the numbers for several buildings and try to schedule multiple tours over a half-day. And take notes, or the apartments will run together ... Both times I've moved in, I was baffled that I had confused details about another apartment with the one I actually ended up taking :) I'd also inquire about whether there's a rooftop deck. Sounds like a frill, but being able to go up and hang out or have dinner/drinks on the roof was one of the biggest joys of living over there.

 

 

Always videotape and take notes, this helps for comparison.  Ask about indoor parking as well.  Some buildings have indoor and outdoor parking.

 

One more cautionary note ... Living directly on the square, the rail noise can take getting used to. During peak hours, you have a train coming through every 5 minutes or less. That's not to dissuade you from living right on the square ... Just took me some adjustment living right across the street from the station, until it eventually became background noise. Best of luck with your search - it's a really great neighborhood.

 

 

Very good point.  The whistles & bells annoys me to no end!

In 1993 I moved from Geauga County to Berea, to within 1,000 feet of where 120 freight trains passed by per day -- and a few road crossings they blew their horns for! Despite me being a train geek, I could not sleep at all that first night. It took me a while to get used to the noise. Then, about a year later, I house-sat for my parents in Aurora when they went out of town. It was so quiet I could not sleep!! So I had to turn a TV on for the noise so I could fall asleep.

 

You get used to anything if you're around it enough.

I agree with MTS in that I certainly would not write off all the buildings south of SS -- some of which, architecturally, are superior to all buildings in the area save Moreland Courts (AKA MyTwoSense Manor)... Those buildings hugging the Drexmore, Ludlow, S. Moreland corner (like the Mansion) are drop-dead gorgeous, both inside and out (some have working fireplaces in them IIRC).  These buildings are literally across the street from the backside of Shaker Square buildings -- this area is not dangerous as some would have you believe.  Yes, there are some sketchy areas south of Buckeye and west of S. Moreland ... But S. Moreland, itself, is not that bad, either.

I miss me some Deweys Coffee

A good friend of mine lives in the Lakemore building (which is a montlackrealty.com building,) and I've spent quite a bit of time there.  His only complaints about it are that the annual rent increases have gotten to the point where he thinks he could get more bang for his buck elsewhere.  He's lived in the building for about five years, I think, or maybe a bit more.

 

Thanks! So he never had any issues with management and maintenance? Here are the poor reviews I was talking about...

 

http://g.co/maps/a5eyt

 

Welcome to Shaker Square and the Cleve :) I lived there my first four years in Cleveland and had a terriffic experience in the neighborhood.

 

I've never had any direct experiences with Montlack as a renter. For me, it was less their reputation and more that their price point was a little higher than in some buildings I would consider comparable. While they do operate a number of buildings in and around the Square, there are quite a few other management companies about. I lived in two different apartments, both under Capital Properties Management: One north of Larchmere along North Moreland (http://www.shakerparkeastapts.com/) and one directly across from the RTA station (http://www.shakerhouseapts.com/). Both were nice units, although Shaker House and Shaker Town House sound like they fit what you're looking for better ... right off of the Square with a door-to-rail commute of about 5 minutes.

 

At Shaker Town House, I had a really lovely one-bedroom on the top floor for $570. At Shaker Park East, we paid about $800 for a large 2-bedroom. It looks like the rates are about the same now ... one- and two-bedrooms in the $500 - $800 range. I had really great experiences with Capital Properties until I tried to get out of my lease, but I think that's understandable ... I was trying to break the lease :)

 

One of the joys and annoyances about living in a 20s-era building is that each of the units, even within the same building, is pretty unique ... My last apartment was laid out sort of like a hexagon. That means you'll undoubtedly find something to your liking, but it also requires a little more investigation on the front end. My honest recommendation would be to go through and get the numbers for several buildings and try to schedule multiple tours over a half-day. And take notes, or the apartments will run together ... Both times I've moved in, I was baffled that I had confused details about another apartment with the one I actually ended up taking :) I'd also inquire about whether there's a rooftop deck. Sounds like a frill, but being able to go up and hang out or have dinner/drinks on the roof was one of the biggest joys of living over there.

 

One more cautionary note ... Living directly on the square, the rail noise can take getting used to. During peak hours, you have a train coming through every 5 minutes or less. That's not to dissuade you from living right on the square ... Just took me some adjustment living right across the street from the station, until it eventually became background noise. Best of luck with your search - it's a really great neighborhood.

 

 

Thanks for the advise and the suggestions! Ill check those places out. Im used to noise so it shouldn't affect my sleeping. Dead silence and cricketts annoy me more than anything!

In 1993 I moved from Geauga County to Berea, to within 1,000 feet of where 120 freight trains passed by per day -- and a few road crossings they blew their horns for! Despite me being a train geek, I could not sleep at all that first night. It took me a while to get used to the noise. Then, about a year later, I house-sat for my parents in Aurora when they went out of town. It was so quiet I could not sleep!! So I had to turn a TV on for the noise so I could fall asleep.

 

You get used to anything if you're around it enough.

 

I've been in my apartment forever, and I because I'm a very, very, very light sleeper, I will never get use to it.  Even when I lived at my parents house, the train would annoy me.

...and one directly across from the RTA station (http://www.shakerhouseapts.com/). Both were nice units, although Shaker House and Shaker Town House sound like they fit what you're looking for better ... right off of the Square with a door-to-rail commute of about 5 minutes.

 

Id like to know more about your experience here. Looks like a good location, right next to square and near the rapid. Not as a beautiful surrounding, like some of the apartment block streets, but still great location overall. So management and maintenance were never an issue here? Also how were the other tenants? Respectful, friendly, etc?

Sure thing! With the caveat that I haven't lived there in 4.5 years, so it may have changed since then.

 

I was on the 7th (top) floor, so I'm sure that cut out a lot of noise that you typically have from units above, but I recall the neighbors being pretty quiet ... Don't recall any loud parties, really. At the time, Shaker Town House was the building where Cleveland Play House had their visiting theatre artists staying, which took up several units. Not sure if this is still the case and what if any impact their move downtown will have on this.

 

There was a parking garage on the ground floor, but I was car-free for a while and was then parking on the street, so don't recall what that was like, except that that's where you brought trash. Did hear about a lot of car break-ins in and around the square, so I suppose the semi-secured parking would be some solid piece of mind for some.

 

I found the building to be well-maintained. The lobbies were pretty dated (early 80s color pallette), but the units were nice. Recall the kitchen appliances being kind of old, but functional. Actually don't recall ever having any maintenance problems per se. Steam heating was quite loud (would make a clanking sound) ... Otherwise, never had any real problems. The unit itself was pretty nice, hardwood floors, unusual floor layout. Certainly wasn't deluxe but did have a healthy amount of that 1920s charm you find around the Square and in many units in Cleveland Heights.

 

All in all, it was a pretty terriffic rental experience. You're right, it doesn't have quite the same level of grounds beauty that some of the other streets, but you're steps away from the Square, and another benefit was being about a 5 min. walk up East 128th from the heart of Larchmere. And because Capital Properties Management buildings have the rooftop decks, you also have some great views of the southeast suburbs, the Square, the Shaker Parklands and downtown and University Circle.

The gallery photos suggest the kitchen appliance are still quite dated, but it still looks like a decent building!

 

http://www.shakerhouseapts.com/photos.asp

 

You're also right across the street from a 24-hour restaurant (Michael's) which can be good and bad. What was your experience with them, 8shades?

The gallery photos suggest the kitchen appliance are still quite dated, but it still looks like a decent building!

 

http://www.shakerhouseapts.com/photos.asp

 

You're also right across the street from a 24-hour restaurant (Michael's) which can be good and bad. What was your experience with them, 8shades?

My cousin and my ex both lived in this building.  Its a nice building, nice sized units and you cant be the convenience of being in front of the train.  The roof top is a plus.

 

Michaels AKA "the Shack on the Tracks" is a hoot after 3AM

^^ I loved Michael's ... Decent food, awesome to be able to get it at off-hours when nothing else was open, great people watching and really nice to have the ability to duck in out of the cold while waiting for a train and grab a coffee. Never had any troubles with them - it's a good staff and a good crowd.

Hey everybody, I 'm looking for some advice on advertising an apartment in Shaker Square.  It's my home and the downstairs will be available soon.  I've posted on craigslist, but I'd like to broaden my reach.  Any thoughts?  Are their neighborhood/local publications I should be engaging?  Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.  It's a 2 bedroom unit in a duplex near the square.  Thanks!

^Looks like there's a fee involved, but you could try listing through CWRU's on-line system: https://students.case.edu/living/services/aloha/

^Looks like there's a fee involved, but you could try listing through CWRU's on-line system: https://students.case.edu/living/services/aloha/

 

That's awesome.  I was just asking a cowork and she suggested advertising at Case as well so this link is timely.  Thanks!

Cleveland needs to get tough with Shaker Square-area apartment building owner: Mark Naymik

 

By Mark Naymik, Northeast Ohio Media Group

Email the author | Follow on Twitter

on December 16, 2014 at 3:19 PM, updated December 16, 2014 at 3:21 PM

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Residents living near Cleveland's Shaker Square need a break.

 

And the city can give them one this week by cracking down on the company that owns two buildings that have been source of trouble for years.

 

At a Wednesday hearing of the city's Board of Building Standards and Building Appeals, Shakertown Apartments LTD is expected to ask for more time to deal with problems at the company's condemned property on Drexmore Avenue and its apartment building on South Moreland Boulevard.

 

Daniel Inks, one of the people behind Shakertown, is fighting the condemnation of the Drexmore building. He claims he is selling the property and the new owner will assume all of its problems. He is also asking for more time to correct the violations on the South Moreland property, according to records.

 

The board needs to deny his appeals. Here is why.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/naymik/index.ssf/2014/12/cleveland_needs_to_get_tough_w.html

 

Many of the Shaker Square-area apartment buildings are dumps. A friend of mine wanted to live in/near Shaker Square but EVERY unit we looked at was in need of repairs and modernization. We looked at four units, all in different buildings -- and all were owned by Montlack. So she moved to an outer suburb with more modern, inexpensive apartments.

Many of the Shaker Square-area apartment buildings are dumps. A friend of mine wanted to live in/near Shaker Square but EVERY unit we looked at was in need of repairs and modernization. We looked at four units, all in different buildings -- and all were owned by Montlack. So she moved to an outer suburb with more modern, inexpensive apartments.

 

And that's a damn shame.  This property sits right on the border of Wards 4 and 5 (Ken Johnson and Phyllis Cleveland, respectively).  Both them and Frank Jackson should be called on the carpet  for this.  As Mark Naymik correctly notes, Shaker Sq is a premiere district in Cleveland, and this crap  shouldn't exist just 1/2 block from the square.  Ridiculous!