I lived at Reserve Square for three years. Overall, it is a good value for the money considering all utilities and basic cable are included in the rent. You need to make sure you negotiate, though. I was able to get my one bedroom deluxe for $750 a month. It is close to the University, which catered to a large portion of the residents.

The property is convenient to East 9th and has a grocery in the building (at one time the only grocery downtown before the one in the Warehouse district). Unfortunately, it becomes a magnet for homeless people -- and I cannot tell you the number of times I was approached by a bum or (worst yet) grifter on the property. The security staff is almost too friendly and didn't patrol the mall and grocery carefully enough.

They added the Hunt Club bar -- which was really noisy and lead to undesirable consequences from the smoking and drinking. (You can use your imagination here). It was nice if you wanted to grab a drink or bar food after work. There was also a Subway's there too which I frequented. The hotel had a restaurant, which was pricey, and food was just ok.

The core construction quality is good, in that the property is poured concrete. The trade off, of course, is that you live in a white box. You can still hear people slam their front doors, but you never really heard your neighbors. An important qualification here -- never move under anyone who has a wooden floor -- be sure to ask! The kitchen cupboards were cheap and drawers were plastic.

The central heating and cooling was a system of fans over pipes. Many times they would have the boiler running to heat the lower floors and it would be stifling on the upper floors. Even though the suites are individually thermostated, if the pipes aren't flowing cold water, your apartment was hot! This was usually only a problem during the season changes in spring and fall, but was sometimes bad enough to want to get a hotel.

The leasing office had some turnover and lost a few valuable persons who made my experience quite enjoyable. The property manager was replaced when I lived there, and they hired a manager who didn't live on-site. One credit I can give to the new manager is that I constantly received letters and requests for feedback and ways to improve my apartment living! I do believe that she is committed to doing a good job -- but I never had cause to speak with her.

The parking is dark and cramped (like most downtown parking). The turn ramps are tight if you have a large car. They were working on the leaks too when I left -- but I know some people had their cars damaged by the water and limestone in the concrete. I do not know if management paid to repair their paint or not. They had a car wash and detailing on-site, of which, I heard good things.

The maintenance repairpersons were good and friendly. One thing, the old pipes in the building and downtown lead to several days without water and many times having red or black water (especially the higher you go). Thankfully I was out of town times when then city lost water due to a main break or the big power outage.

One major complaint that I had was the fire truck sirens, which woke me up often. If you are from the suburbs like I am, it is hard to get used to -- of course this is a trade off of the downtown experience.

The elevators are slow, especially in the West Tower (which is above the Embassy Suites hotel). There are only two (if working and no one moving) to run between 20 floors.

The property is showing its age and needs to be updated. The hallways were very poor by the time I left with stains and wear. The laundry rooms were beautiful when they were redone, but after only three years, they were trashed. Even the Penthouse suites do not have a laundry room, which is a real drawback. The high-speed dryers were always broken and the machines were on the coin system. I find it hard to believe they didn't have the laundry cards, which are so convenient.

I didn't have much interaction with the new staff, but overall they were ok.

The mailboxes were nice (big!) and the package center (concierge) was convenient. The concierge is really more for packages than tickets, taxis, etc.

The pool and fitness center were tricky to get to and were not 24 hours. The pool was shared 1,000 residents plus the hotel, so I never used it. The times I used the fitness center, it did have new machines and the attendant was very friendly.

Overall I recommend the property. I have heard very good things about Statler Arms next door, which is new. I think if I were to return to downtown living, I would give Statler Arms a visit first. RSQ is very convenient and has some nice pluses -- but it is become a rough diamond. At one time, Reserve Square was "THE" place to be. Now, the tenant mix started to change when I moved for the worse and people became less friendly. Not bad, but I think it could be better. Remember too the trade-offs of downtown living (noise, bums, etc).

Avoid the Chesterfield. I have heard only bad things and their suites are outdated and small.

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