Guardian

[Urban Pioneer]

If he doesn't chime in soon, send a PM to Urban Pioneer.

He lived there for quite some time and I saw his unit -- pretty fantastic.

Thanks for the compliment. I will send you some photos for sharing and write a more detailed review. In short, its an awesome place but has some quirks. In terms of the aesthetic ambience, the units are awesome. I felt like I was in New York or something.

[catcherinthewry]

That's high praise, right there!

LOL! I hope UP doesn't send pics, he could get thrown in jail for that.

[Spartan]

This got weird

[catcherinthewry]

This got weird

Not so much weird as sophomoric.

[sooner88]

Thank you all for the responses, I'll keep that in mind when I go take a look. Of all the MidtownR properties, this was on the top of my list, so I am excited to see it.

[Urban Pioneer]

LOL! I hope UP doesn't send pics, he could get thrown in jail for that.

LOL guys. Apt or otherwise, at least I wouldn't have anything to be ashamed of.

[Urban Pioneer]

And yes... sophomoric.

[Urban Pioneer]

I have had a couple PM's about wanting the review.


I love the Guardian. The quirks vary depending on which unit you are looking at and the way that the unit to the outside faces. Because it is an old building, some of the historic windows do not open at all, are difficult to open, can get stuck. etc I had a wrench and a crowbar nearby in case I got into trouble. lol

The old frames of the windows can also be a real challenge in managing temperatures inside the unit. I was on the SE corner and therefore had a constant battle with keeping the roller shades down to enjoy the view of downtown and the church while managing the temperature in the space. My recommendation would be to buy a Nest thermostat to help you manage the temperature more easily and remotely turn on the AC and Heat before you come home. Also, keep the shades closed when your gone during the summer and open during the winter.

The building is very noisy. If your young and up late or you don't mind wearing ear plugs, you can cope with it. Just keep in mind that the entire building is made up of reflective surfaces. A dog barks in that building and you hear it. The worst experience is when I would forget the windows open on Wed morning. The trash truck drivers have a race down Robinson to see how fast they can empty dumpsters. Crash and burn I swear. CRASH!!!! lol After two Wed's experiencing waking up to that, I remembered to close the windows. Again, ear plugs or wave machines help with these situations.

Regarding the unleveled cabinets, the rolling closets will go unleveled with the doors if you move them and do not reset the doors with a screw driver. I'm sure management would have done that if I had asked, but I didn't mind fixing that problem myself. They are huge closets. Because it is an old building, 2nd floor units do not have perfectly level floors. Moving these massive rolling closets causes them to shift around and require the reseting.

Another quirk is the glass shower. The seal on my door would allow some water to leak out onto the floor. I always had to attempt to focus how I was showering to prevent water from excessively running out into the bathroom floor.

The "non-scratch" counter tops do indeed scratch. Avoid cutting or dragging anything heavy and sharp across them.

Another quirk is that mortar and dust along the exposed brick walls required regular vacuuming. Not sure if it is all of the earthquakes, but mortar crumbles and mortar dust required regular attention to the floor and cabinets along the wall.

With all of these quirks the Guardian is an awesome rebuild of a true urban building. The ambience and the awesome windows make for an extremely uplifting home. If you want no maintenance and no quirks, go to a new apartment complex. And even in those (I lived in Deep Deuce for 7 years and The Legacy for 2) have their own quirks too. The Guardian is a great place to be. Snow storms and thunderstorms are awesome experiences in that building.