Always home to me
From:
jtts
Date posted:
3/9/2004
Years at this apartment:
1998
-
2003
As A child I saw the building and said that I would like to stay there someday, and I did. I lived at the Park Shelton for 5 years, and loved it. Was the elevator out often' Yes. Was it a complete pain in the ass to have to walk up 8 flights of stairs' Yes. Was Mary Ann a witch' Sometimes. It was all part of the experience.
If you want to live in midtown Detroit, this is a great place to do it. I could look out of my window and see the DIA, main library, WSU, and DMC. Since I worked at DMC and went to school at WSU, it was the perfect location. Not to mention that I could invite people over to watch the fireworks, or invite them by to the Festival of the Arts. With a plan for parking, parties were fun there.
The apartment itself had great character. Crown molding, tall windows, and thick walls set my apartment apart from other cookie cutter apartments. The only time that I could hear other people was if they were hanging pictures, or passing by in the halls.
Whenever I had a problem, my request was completed in less than 24 hours. The trash room could get messy, but that was due to the people who lived there. The staff cleaned the place every other day.
What was a problem was the garage. It is NASTY, FILTHY, and not safe. I figured that with a conservative estimate of 150 cars at $50 per month, they were making at least $7500 per month. This does not take into consideration late fees, or those people who only park for the afternoon. I know that they had to pay staff salaries, and for electricity, but they could have afforded to have someone come clean that place. The ceiling was falling apart. Someone was hit in the head (yes, she sued and won) by material falling down on her. Also, in the winter months, the owner stores several of his cars there, thus making parking even more difficult. If you can avoid using the garage, I would recommend it.
When I first moved in, there was a tenant's association. We collected recyclables, and worked on behalf of the tenants of the apartment. Sadly, attendance was low, so the association was weak. Some of the people on the board felt threatened, and eventually left. However, that was not my experience. I met people who had lived there for many years. The door man, Grant, lived there for 27 years, and my friend Elaine lived there for 18 before here death. It is real urban living, with all that that brings. Anytime you rent, there will be problems. This is why people buy homes. However, I would not trade my time there for life in a boring suburban apartment for anything.
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