The first thing to understand about "Midtown Place" is that it includes multiple unique building complexes. I'm a resident of the Park Lane apartments, at the west corner of Cooper and Poplar. "Midtown Place" also includes St. Regis (further east on Poplar), Park Terrace (next to St. Regis), Grosvenor Square, and Stratford Place. Park Terrace is undergoing a major renovation. Not sure if it will be apartments or condos or even if it's still owned by the same company. All of these buildings are managed by the same office in Park Lane, apt. 41A.

Now, when I was apartment hunting I toured "Midtown Place" units in Park Lane and St. Regis. Park Lane won, hands down, because St. Regis is just so damned ugly from the outside. On the inside, the buildings are basically the same.

The Park Lane apartments are old - built in 1929 according to the County Property Assessor's website. And they've got all the charm and problems of an old complex.

Charm: Original hardwood floors (a major selling point for me, can't stand carpet), old-school trim and molding, mortise locks in all the interior doors (which I've refurbished so they actually lock), exterior storage space under the stairs (good place for my bike), some apartments have washer/dryer hookups (not mine), some have ceiling fans (mine), gas stove (hate electric), we've never run out of hot water, ample parking, sunrooms in most (makes a good dining room), units individually billed by MLGW for electricity and stove gas, great location (Overton Park & Overton Square in easy walking distance).

Problems: Hardwood floors mean you hear footsteps above more clearly (tho normal walking noise doesn't bother me after the last stompers I lived under), one laundry room serves both Park Lane buildings (I live very close but might be annoying for folks with longer walks), insecure parking (I've heard of one car theft), 1 window air conditioner provided in living room (had to buy another for bedroom), shower head too low for tall people (replaced with extendable one), bushes trimmed to round shape but WAY overgrown (picutre giant but rounded bushes, one of my windows is entirely blocked), ugly linoleum kitchem floor, had to replace the ancient rusted-shut mailbox.

Radiators deserve their own paragraph... the units are billed by square footage for heat (they call it the RUBS bill). The radiators run on 1 giant gas boiler for the entire building. My heat bill went from $40 at the beginning of winter to $200 at the end. Some radiators are very hard to turn off completely so it can get too hot, you'll need a wrench/pliers and screwdriver. Boo.

Despite the problems, I love the place. To me, radiators are part of the annoying charm of an old building. If you want a brand new apartment in midtown look at the Bristol, but prepare to pay double. I enjoy fixing the little problems around the apartment myself. I've used maintenance service for a few things (large leak from bathroom above which resluted from upstairs dummy not calling maintenance) and it did take an obscene amount of persistence to get it done. The office employees are scatterbrained at best. Tho, contrary to other reviews, they were never misleading. During the application process they disclosed everything, including the RUBS bills, and expained everything clearly. Even if they didn't, it's all spelled out in the lease contract, which you should read before signing.

The official pet policy is cats and dogs under 25 pounds but there are serveral larger dogs. The office doesn't ask and I don't tell... ;)

To be happy here, you'll have to be willing to continuously remind maintenance to get things done. Or do it yourself. I love the look and feel of the old building and am quite content. The location is perfect. I can walk to Overton Park, right accross the street, or to Overton Square to eat at Bosco's or catch a movie at the Studio. Hopefully I'll be here until I'm ready to buy my first house. bYr9ljUwtCbMRXE8dRDC

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/28/2007
I completely agree with your review.I have lived at St. Regis for 2 yrs. My favorite thing about them are the long hallways. The place looks like a house.I am on the first floor and hate stomping and loud music.My upstairs neighbor just moved out. How exciting! I'll be hoping a quiet one moves in next.

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