but don't be fooled. Though its outside appearance may be charming...the appeal ends there. Upon entering the lackluster front door you are welcomed in to the glamour of a cheaply done 1980's renovation that has had almost no upkeep. The dark and dirty carpet has held years of odor and the stick up timed air fresheners only magnify the fact that fresh air seldom enters the building. The walls have a nice spatter finish to cover the imperfections and cracks...because who wants to fix them when you can just hide them'' When entering your unit you are greeted by a metal framed core door reminiscent of a college dormitory. The floors; whether cheap vinyl, creaky hardwoods, or bottom of the line carpet offer even more charm (though compared to the hallway carpet it seems like an upgrade). As you continue in you will notice that the walls are the same texture and color as the hallway...because who wants to bother with more than one paint color'' Not these cheap bastards. Other "charming features" include plywood cabinets, plastic tub inserts, mismatched light fixtures, fluorescent lighting in the kitchen, bathroom air vents that vent to....somewhere' (I've yet to see an exhaust vent on the outside of the building), aluminum windows that saw their hay day a decade ago (they leak, frequently break, and in the winter grow a nice coating of mildew). Like a nice cozy apartment in the winter' Hope you like electric bills too; do to the building being poured concrete, the exterior walls offer no insulation (they're plaster on the inside), and with electric baseboard heating a $200 /month power bill is an easy thing to come by. Also, the dry heat combined with the cold damp walls creates a perfect environment for mildew...and you sign an agreement that makes you responsible for cleaning it up. You also heat your own water, each unit has its own water heater (hidden under the kitchen cabinets) and they're electric too (mine was dated from 1988). Also, since Capital is pro money and anti customer, they split up and pawn off the water bill for the building to the tenants, so expect to tack on an extra $20 a month on to your rent. So now that you're familiar with the charm of the apartment you'll soon regret renting, let's continue back to the building's features. Did you notice that it's a non smoking building' Walk out back and you'll see it differently, un-emptied smoke boxes reside on every floor, though in my experience most of the smokers are too dirty to even bother using them so butts are generally all over the stairs. The ground level seems to have had a little living area set up with a table and chairs and ash trays all over. Also, while in the back of the building you can take a look at the cracks forming around the stairwell, though they (like always) did recently come through and simply patch over them and repaint to match. I often feared that something was going to give; not only are the cracks quite significant on the outside, but they are also cracking through to the inside in some units. Around the corner from the back is a "courtyard" that probably hasn't been maintained since Capital took over. The chairs have a nice layer of mildew on them, there are quarter sized spiders that tend to make their webs at face level, and the overall feeling is somewhat cold and uninviting. Around the other side of the building is an unassuming parking lot, but for those who like a peaceful evening and a good nights rest be aware. The recycling and garbage dumpsters for the near by restaurants and bars reside within the lot and they create quite a bit of noise. Wine bottles will become your new best friend; they get dumped in the recycling bins during the day and early evening, and then the bums pick through them during all hours of the night, and then in the morning (usually around 7am) the ever so loud recycling truck comes and disposes them. Of course there's the garbage truck too, which comes at the same time the next day, as well as the garbage and recycling pick up for the Marcella, and for the adjacent apartment building (all on different days). That's really as bad (and good) as it gets, the laundry is tolerable, but with almost 4 dozen apartments the three washers and three dryers can sometimes become an inconvenience. Parking is per usual for the neighborhood, its generally inconvenient but do-able, though for the person who respects and cares for their car this is not the neighborhood to be in. All too often I see drivers try to parallel park and ding the cars in front and behind them with little care to even check and see how bad of a mark they left. So if you're in the market for an apartment and somehow find the charm your looking for in The Marcella, I wish you luck! I wouldn't even dare rent there again let alone rent with Capital Property Management, where money is more important than care and respect for the tenants.

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