My partner and I are currently planning a move downtown (from Cleveland Hts) and I was hoping to get some feedback from those who live/work there.  Due mostly to availability and preferring not to be on an indefinite waiting list, our list has been narrowed down to Reserve Square, National Terminal, Crittenden Court and Huron Square/Osborn Building. Is there anything we should be on the lookout for when we go in for a tour? Id love to hear from anyone who has lived/lives or knows someone who does/has lived in these buildings, both positive and negative aspects. Currently my preference is Reserve square for the location, amenities and windows (I need lots of natural light as I grow tropical plants), and he really likes National Terminal for the layout. Thanks in advance for any feedback! :D

im presonally not a huge fan of reserve square.  location is good if you work in the central business district, but you may also want to check out the east ohio gas building on the corner of superior and 9th.  Osborn building is pretty cool

While I haven't lived downtown, I've toured many downtown buildings in the past 20 years while they've been under construction/renovation or right after they opened, or visited a few at other times. So based on that limited amount of experience with the buildings you've mentioned, my suggestions would be the Crittenden Court and Huron Square/Osborn Building. Both have nice apartment layouts and pleasant finishes, although are not luxurious. Both also appear to be well-maintained. I've heard more than a few negative stories about the maintenance at Reserve Square and National Terminals, although those stories may be old and things may have changed. I also think that Crittenden and Huron Sq/Osborn are in better locations, as in they are more in middle of things and a shorter walk to shops, restaurants, cafes, transportation, etc.

I lived downtown for 5 years (not in any of those buildings) and I second the above opinion. I knew numerous people who lived in Reserve Square and they were all unhappy. Basically they felt as if it was a CSU dorm. That was about 5-7 years ago so it may have changed. Also my friends at Huron Square seemed very satisfied. The location is close to bars etc but not directly on top of nightlife.

BTW, the only knock that had existed with Huron Sq/Osborn was that it was a long walk from a grocery store, or even a small grocer/drug store. But with Heinen's, that's no longer going to be the case. Crittenden is an easy walk to Constantino's or the frequent & 24-hour #20/22 buses to Dave's in Ohio City as well as the West Side Market.

Hmmm good ideas to keep in mind. Even though I am *technically* a college student, I cant stand being around college kids lol (hence no consideration to anything closer to CSU). I would really prefer something quieter, though of course within reason knowing this is the center city. The main issue Im having with Huron Sq/Osborn is that they dont have any parking spaces set to come available. While I would love to live car free, we both work in Solon and Ive put too much money into "pimping" out my car to want to get rid of it now haha.

 

ps, Im really excited for the trolleys! :D

Hmmm good ideas to keep in mind. Even though I am *technically* a college student, I cant stand being around college kids lol (hence no consideration to anything closer to CSU). I would really prefer something quieter, though of course within reason knowing this is the center city. The main issue Im having with Huron Sq/Osborn is that they dont have any parking spaces set to come available. While I would love to live car free, we both work in Solon and Ive put too much money into "pimping" out my car to want to get rid of it now haha.

 

ps, Im really excited for the trolleys! :D

 

Try this resource (click the monthly parking button)......

http://www.bestparking.com/cleveland-parking/

Great tool! Thank you!

BTW, I suggest staying away from the Halle Garage.

^me too. Had my car broken into and window shattered for a few days before anyone even bothered to call me. At the time I lived/worked downtown so there would be long periods of time when I wouldn't use my car

 

Well we did our tours and made our decision with National Terminal. Great building, great location. We loved how large the apartments are and all of the exposed columns and duct-work. We did the application and are now on the waiting list for a one or two bedroom, whichever comes available first. Interesting enough, theres only one person ahead of us for a one bedroom and no one for a two bedroom. They have a few available right now, but theyre all part of the affordable income program. Reserve Square had nice amenities, but the apartments were like shoeboxes. We would have had to get rid of alot of things in order to fit in there. Crittenden was ok, but if were gonna be waiting, Id much rather wait for something like National Terminal. Huron/Osborn wasnt going to work for us after all, so we didnt visit.

 

and thank you to everyone for the tips!

Cool. Let us know how you like the building. And if you don't go into Constantino's for convenience items, there is a newstand-type store on the ground floor of the Ernst & Young tower in Flats East Bank. Speaking of which, you will soon have new restaurants nearby as the second phase of FEB progresses.

 

FYI, I've heard that one-bedroom units are in much higher demand around downtown than two-bedroom units.

 

Good luck!

Yes, Im really excited to be right by the FEB too. WXYZ has been our latest favorite place to go for drinks downtown. Its going to be tough not to eat out all the time. Ill be looking forward to watching the progress of the new buildings rising there too. I can certainly understand why one bedrooms are more in demand with alot of singles and young couples/empty nesters moving downtown. A second bedroom would just be extra, unneeded space if you dont have kids or a roommate. Were trying to figure out what we would use the room for lol.

 

The views of the Flats and Downtown are great too.

I live alone but have a second bedroom. In fact, I use the smaller of my two bedrooms as the bedroom. The larger one is used as an office with a sofa/bed.

Yes, Im really excited to be right by the FEB too. WXYZ has been our latest favorite place to go for drinks downtown. Its going to be tough not to eat out all the time. Ill be looking forward to watching the progress of the new buildings rising there too. I can certainly understand why one bedrooms are more in demand with alot of singles and young couples/empty nesters moving downtown. A second bedroom would just be extra, unneeded space if you dont have kids or a roommate. Were trying to figure out what we would use the room for lol.

 

The views of the Flats and Downtown are great too.

 

I use one of my spare bedrooms as an office.  You never know when guess stay over or visit. Also when you're a couple the extra space is nice to have.

DowntownCLE ‏@DowntownCLE  4m

"@k_cornelius: I wanna live in downtown Cleveland so bad."

 

That's where we come in. http://ow.ly/zvPcT

DowntownCLE ‏@DowntownCLE  4m

"@k_cornelius: I wanna live in downtown Cleveland so bad."

 

That's where we come in. http://ow.ly/zvPcT

 

I saw that too - shows how far we've come.