We lived in the Chateaux for 2 1/2 years and really enjoyed it during college, however, once you switchover from night owl studying to the everyday working class this apartment leaves something to be desired. If you're a student looking for reasonable (note it's not so cheap anymore, rates were set to rise 3/1/08 to a minimum $50 increase putting a one bedroom mid floor to $600) apartments in a GREAT location, go for it! You probably won't notice the mold, the noise of the streets, or the older run down things around you, hell it's probably a lot nicer than the rental houses your friends live in on Sinto! If you aren't a college student, put aside your thriftiness for a minute and look for a place with a little more class and a lot more comfort of home. Lets face it when we're college students it's just a place to eat, sleep (sorta), and study (sometimes), but, when we leave that environment of school we can afford a little luxury that the Chateaux just can't offer.

Some things to remember about these apartments:
Awesome location (walk to downtown, Gonzaga, the Arena!)
Older building and a lot of wear and tear is tolerated before being fixed or replaced (super stained carpets!)
Great noise control! The building is concrete, so each apartment is encased in 6" of concrete, you can't hear your neighbors at all! However, Washington Street gets busy, loud, and if something is going on at the Arena forget trying to find a parking place)
Parking is supposed to be tenants only (guests okay, sometimes the managers require a guests pass, sometimes not) but you try telling that to the hundreds of people who park in the area during Arena events or weekends like 4th of July, Pig out in the Park, or any other event going on downtown! It can get really bad!
I have never had it happen, but I would suggest getting insurance for vehicle break-ins. I have witnessed a car having the windows smashed out and stolen about two blocks from the apartment (saw it from the balcony) and I have seen tons of cars with their windows smashed out in the parking lot. Just be smart, take out CD's and iPods, but think about insurance because even a broken window can be pricey!
Windows and sliding glass doors are single pane glass and are freezing in the winter! I'd suggest heavy drapes, especially since the amazing view lets in A LOT of downtown light.
MOLD, MOLD, MOLD...it's a concrete building, not exactly a breathable material. It's totally gross, but I just mixed some bleach water in a spray bottle and tried to attack the windows and wall spaces every few weeks to keep it at bay. Once again an easy thing to overlook when Top Ramen and Easy Mac are considered a good dinner, not as much fun when your new couch has mold spots because the wall temperature fluctuates so much.
The quality of the space is sufficient; if you look around at the walls you can notice replacement drywall, patches, and poor craftsmanship on general fix ups. We had a hole in the wall and did a better job fixing it then the five other patch-up jobs we found in the apartment. If you're into aesthetics and want a nice place to show off, entertain, or just enjoy, look somewhere else.
The managers are really great people, genuinely caring and concerned with your well being. Kudos to them because I have never met people more real, down to earth, and kind. However, kindness aside, they're on their own time schedule, don't expect to get a return phone call (I'm still waiting for one!) and things will be fixed...in time.
Even though the managers are really nice, don't be surprised if they target you as a youngin' who must be breaking all the rules. My friend and I witnessed half a dozen older (30 and up) adults getting wasted in the pool over 4th of July, later we were "gently reminded" we weren't allowed to bring in food or beverages to the pool area. Luckily my friend is kick-ass and made sure management knew that all the youngins' were keeping their end of the bargain and that the older kids weren't playing nice. Just typical prejudice and assumptions for the college aged tenants.
Major Maintenance needs do get fixed, sometimes quickly and sometimes never. If it bothers you and your quality of life fix it yourself. I hated the old nasty molding around the tub, so I bought some inexpensive self-adhesive tub molding and fixed it.
One last thing to think about...when we moved in the oven range was old and inefficient, I LOVE cooking and just couldn't make it work, so we asked the managers if there was a possibility in getting a new range, they looked into it and decided for a new oven the rent would increase by $10 a month. Not too bad for a sacrifice that we weren't willing to make. The property owners are trying to update all the units slowly, so if you get a unit with older appliances don't be afraid to ask for new ones, if you're willing to pay more a month of course.

I hope this helps! It really is a great place, old, but great! If you have a little extra to spend there are some amazing places downtown or in Brown's Addition that I think work better for those of us who are out of college. It's up to you!

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