The building facilities are nice - gym, pool, study lounge with wireless, roofdeck, movie room - but at Wharton I never have enough time to use them. The building is overly expensive for what it is, and the security is lacking - virtually anyone can get upstairs. The elevators are the worst part about this building - at any given time one or two of them is broken, leaving long lines for the residents to get upstairs (no way to take stairs up the building, only down because of multiple locked entries in the stairwells).

The amenities (indoor pool, gym, resident lounge and rooftop deck) are fantastic. The actual apartments are just ok though. My unit has not been updated (no hardwood floors, old appliances) so other apartments may be better. The elevators are dreadful. There are only 4 in a 45 floor building, they only run 3 of them even when they are all operational, and there's generally at least one broken one. It's extremely frustrating and can end up waiting for an elevator for 15 minutes or taking 30 flights of stairs. It's a little far from campus, but good for getting on the bus in the morning because you beat the crowd. You also have the option to take the trolley at 15th and Market. The building is on the expensive side, but a lot of students pay the price to live here. Tons of people live in the building, including 2 of my learning teammates.

Getting very expensive

I am highly allergic to mold, and I chose 1500 Locust because Wharton students told me it would be the cleanest, most recently renovated place to live. (Older buildings are problematic for me; they are more likely to contain mold due to leaky pipes, rotting wood, or damp surfaces beneath floors and above ceilings.) I love my apartment. It was renovated just before my move-in date with modern kitchen appliances (i.e. stainless steel fridge), new carpets, and finished wood floors. Most units in this building are completely carpeted (aside from the tiled kitchen and bathroom), but luckily my apartment has a wood floor living room. Wood is a safer option for me than carpet, due to my allergies, but I also haven't had any trouble with the carpet in my bedroom. The gym is convenient and includes a spectacular view of Philadelphia skyscrapers. The downside to this building is that there are only 3 elevators (+ 1 service elevator) covering over 40 floors. Elevator wait times are very long, and this year at least one elevator has been out of operation ~50% of the time. It is frustrating, and everyone complains, but I would not move out of the building solely due to long elevator waits.

The apartment is generally good, and the gym and doorman are key selling points for me. However, the management company has tactics I would refer to as "shady" (bait and switch lease tactics, maintenence never shows up if you call but does so immediately if you request via email [read "in writing"], etc). Much of the building is more show than substance, unfortunately. The price is high, but it is difficult to find a good apartment in Philadelphia for a good price that addresses these concerns.

Stay away from the Studios

The building is great but the management is truly terrible. It may sound like it's not a big deal, but the elevators in the building don't work roughly 20% of the time ... which is difficult when you live on the 20th floor. I've been late to class because you never know when you'll have to wait 15 minutes for an elevator, and my husband was trapped in a stalled elevator car for 5 hours. Management has yet to apologize (let alone compensate) for any of this. Otherwise, the apts, gym, and roof deck are great. I wouldn't choose to live here again, but I signed a two-year lease upon move-in and therefore am here for another year.

A wonderful building except the elevators and management situation.

Nice apartment building, good amenities (gym, pool, common lounge area, training classes), excellent location. Good attention from the office. Quick response in case of need of repairs in the apartment. Elevators have been an issue, but they are being repaired and renewed. 24 hours front desk, but they sometimes let every guest in without checking in.

I HATE the building management. Elevators are constantly broken, forcing me to walk up 21 flights of stairs. Management is totally unresponsive. Package delivery is a mess. Too expensive for service.