The apartment is not "state of the art", but it's proximity to the law school and price makes it a great option for a 1L.

great location

Chestnut Hall Review

This apartment, while probably over-priced for the quality, is very convenient for students. I live very close to Penn's campus and can get to class within 10 minutes. The apartment complex is pet-friendly, although they will charge you more. Unfortunately, there is not a ton of natural light and rent does not include utilities or internet, so living here is more expensive than it probably should be. Still, it's convenient, close, with a friendly staff. Also very quiet. Very close to MFL 40th Street station, and buses stop right outside the building.

My one-bedroom has lots of storage, which is helpful. One walk in closet off the bedroom and two other closets in the apartment.

Very Convenient

I love living at Chestnut Hall! The apartment is quiet, very close to the law school so I can run back and grab something I forgot easily and don't have to walk too far in the cold, surrounded by great food and convenient shopping, and my 1-bedroom apartment is spacious and cozy. The staff at Chestnut Hall are friendly and there's a donut shop in the building!

My utility bill is about $100 each month for a studio apartment.

Staff (including security and maintenance) are extremely friendly and super helpful with everything and anything. Laundry is right on your floor and you get a laundry card from the lobby in a few quick seconds. Garbage is also on your floor. There's an elevator and although the interior of the building itself is old, they did a pretty good job renovating. The price is great for how close it is to Drexel and Upenn campuses.

Safe and convenient. Close to campus and decent parking at fresh grocer. Overpriced, faulty fire alarms, non-working elevators, etc. Overpriced and crappy.

Overall I do like living in this building, but it definitely does have its issues. I will start with the pros. The community is friendly. It is mostly grad students from what I can tell. People are generally quiet and respectful. The hallways are a little run down but the apartments are nice. I feel like I have a ton of space for the price. The location is really convenient. It is a 10 minute walk from the law school, and everything you need is in walking distance. The area seems safe as well. It is right next to Penn's undergrad campus so there are always a ton of students in the area. It gets less safe as you go a little bit further west. There is 24 hour security / concierge which is nice. The package system is also very convenient. Maintenance here has always been friendly and helpful and management has always been responsive to issues that arise.

Now to the cons. My biggest issue by far since moving here was a period of 2 months where a tenant was chain smoking cigarettes indoors non-stop - which is against the building's rules. The building is old and the walls are thin so the smoke traveled and it made my apartment smell. To management's credit, it seems like they finally got the tenant to stop. Another issue that has been ongoing is one with the fire alarm system. It goes off randomly, sometimes in the middle of the night and on a few occasions it forced people out of their rooms really late at night. A lot of people think this is connected to the smoking, but management has not given a sure answer. Lastly, I would say that this building has temperature control issues. I am on the top floor, and I actually get a lot of heat from the apartments below me. I rarely even have to use my heat in the winter and sometimes even have to open my windows and use a fan to cool it down. I have heard that parts of the building do not have it as good and I hear some rooms are cold in the winter.

Overall I have liked living here, but like any building there are some downsides that you should consider.