I moved out of the Calvert-Woodley after a flood to my apartment, caused by an upstairs neighbor who left her faucet running while she went out for the evening. At the time I had already been living in the building for over a year so I was on a month-to-month lease. Our excellent live-in building manager had just been replaced by an inexperienced younger guy. My apartment quickly began to grow mold and the manager wouldn't even let me break a month-to-month lease (in the first week of the month) with the result that I had to stay in a moldy apartment for a month and three-quarters after the incident! Which wasn't really unexpected as the management has no incentive to do less than follow the letter of the lease. To be fair, the flood wasn't really the building's fault (it was the resident's fault), but it was the manner in which they handled the situation and the result of the situation that bothered me. Once solid plaster is soaked through, it stays wet for a long time and can cause mold indefinitely.

In addition, I had very noisy neighbors; it seemed that there were 6 students living in one apartment because I never saw the same person twice. (Maybe that's how they could afford the rent') I was later told that their college rented out some rooms and used them as an overflow dorm. They were incredibly rude and would return drunk from Adams Morgan every weekend and usually throw wild, excruciatingly loud pre-parties in their room. In hindsight, I realize this is par for the course with the proximity to Adams Morgan.

The rent was also jacked up astronomically by the time I left. According to the Archstone website, the efficiency for which I was paying $1,200/month back in 2007 now rents for $1,700/month. During the building's Christmas party, I learned from some of the longer-term residents that they were paying less than $900/month for a one-bedroom apartment. I guess the management needs to milk the new residents to balance out the below-market losses incurred by the rent-controlled ones.

Aside from these complaints, it was a relatively nice and clean building in a safe location only a stone's throw from the Metro. However, while there are 20 restaurants close by, the grocery store is a bit of a hike. In short, if you are willing to shell out big bucks for merely location and you want to be near Party City but slightly more upscale, then you have found the place for you. It's not a bad building, it's just a trust fund baby one.

Your thoughts? Post a response to this review. Display my response: with my username anonymously Responses appear below reviews and one response per user is permitted.

   Free estimates on moving trucks      Find apartment share/roommates