860 Hinman is the old Evanshire Hotel, however, the building is old and not well maintained. The elevator is slow, small, and noisy (particularly annoying if you live adjacent to it) and the freight elevator is not dependable. The corridors have stained carpet and some doors are boarded or patched. The apartments are OK; however, the studio I lived in was extremely small. The appliances functioned, but nothing more, and there was no countertop space in my studio. The worst offender in the apartment was the shower, which changed temperature constantly. Many wasted minutes were spent adjusting the extremely sensitive knobs only to have it change temperature again. I suspect that waster used in other apartments--i.e. toilets flushing or sinks running?lead to quick temperature changes felt throughout the building. Freezing cold to scalding hot was not uncommon. Several calls to maintenance resulted in no adjustment--always receiving the written response ??the shower is fine.? (As if I was making it all up!) This issue alone was sufficient for me to not renew my lease and look elsewhere for housing. The staff at the desk was friendly, but did not accept packages delivered during business hours. The laundry facilities were adequate, but vandalism kept residents from using laundry cards to operate the machines on at least one occasion. The management company was not organized, as they inadvertently told my current landlord during the reference check that I missed a rent payment?an event that did not occur. The leasing agent told me plenty of parking would be available for residents in the adjacent lot operated by the City of Evanston. However, after signing the lease, I discovered there is a long waiting list for that lot and a spot is far from guaranteed. The residents of 860 Hinman are a varied bunch but friendly and quiet for the most part.

User Responses
From: tmo9d	Date: 02/06/2006
Honestly, "no counter space in my studio". What the hell do you expect when renting a studio? Plus, the parking isn't the landlord's fault. In fact, there is a long waiting list with Evanston, but I've noticed that they only let you on the list if you are going to be living in the neighborhood for a while. Sure, your apartment might not have been the best one in the neighborhood, but you got what you paid for. IF you don't want to live in a studio, don't rent one.
From: rentz	Date: 07/31/2006
Monthly unit inspections! Prison cells get inspected less often! And 860 Hinman has a TERRIBLE problem with bedbugs. The management admits they just don't have the staff to do everything that needs to be done. Showers indeed are impossible to properly adjust, with the hottest water I've ever seen come out of a faucet anywhere. The one elevator is regularly down. (Once I found the front door wouldn't let me out!) Current renovations has chased out most of the tenants, since the noise and constant traffic of workers make things extra difficult. I've lived in studios before, and these are terrible. And no storage facilities, an amazing situation when most studios are 12 feet x 12 feet. Worst place I've ever lived in. Some sulking weirdos mull around the place. They're removing the steam heat, which is good because you couldn't turn them off. Cheap rent, but you get something much more livable with a little shopping.

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