Pearl Properties

I like the place primarily because the amenities space is pretty luxurious. The fitness center is well equipped, but it can probably use 1-2 more treadmills. One problem is that currently (as of 11/22/19), half of the cable cross machine doesn't work and hasn't been for nearly 5 months and no attempt has been made to repair it. And lately, there's been a string of incidents in which the primary resident elevator doesn't work, and we have to share an elevator with Nordstrom Rack during business hours, which is an inconvenience for residents and Nordstrom. Sometimes the elevator would go days without repair, and then after repair, it goes bad within 12 hours and is out of order for another 1-2 days. There are no stairs to move between floors. The other BIG problem, for apartments along 17 street, is that the noise from the street can be annoying. Sometimes there's loud construction going on nearby, honking drivers, loud conversations, and other distractions, which interferes with sleep sometimes.

I love my apartment space and the building, staff, location, and amenities. My only. It is a little expensive but worth it for the way they treat us. I only wish the units had washer-dryer instead of on the floor.

This building is in one of the best locations in the city. It is super convenient to a ton of restaurants and gyms and public transit lines that easily take you to other parts of the city, including to the Universities. The building is a bit old although it has been renovated, but still has some quirks left. The worst part is the elevators which have recently been on the fritz and even when working properly are super slow! The building has a ton of floorpans to choose from but only have a couple of each plan so you should contact them early to reserve the one that works best for you!

Amazing building close to the subway/in center city

I'd recommend 1700 Chestnut. Excellent location, amenities, kitchen, floors, and closet space. Gym is good too and just large enough for the residents. Only issues are the walls are thin between the apartments and I only have one window that looks onto the courtyard (purposeful decision because street noise can be bad), but this hasn't been that much of a problem.

Most units are studios or 1 bedrooms, so tenants are almost all young professionals or students. No pets are allowed and the insulation between units is quite good, so I can't really hear much unless I'm in the hallway. The laundry is free (almost every floor has 2 washers/dryers), have never been waiting to use. The gym is small in the building, but does the job.

There's no doorman, but I've never had any issues with safety. The insomnia cookies next door is open until 4am and the SoulCycle across the street opens about an hour or so afterwards, so there's always people milling about. That being said, the location is at a fairly busy intersection so you'll hear the sounds of the city during the day. If you are a light sleeper and live on a lower floor, there is a fair amount of light pollution (from the H&M across the street) and occasional sound pollution from the night life nearby.

Overall, this building is great value! Management is super quick to resolve any issues and open to unusual lease terms (more than 12 months). As a student, it's a bit further from University City, but it opens up all of Center/Old city for exploring. Would highly recommend if you can deal with the noise!

Building and staff have been great

Good building but good value

Pros:
- Pearl is a very responsive management that actually cares about their tenants. They address maintenance requests timely. The occasional perks (e.g., free bagels and coffee, free yoga, etc.) are also quite nice.
- Very well maintained elevator apartment with pretty much everything you need.
- Good location that sits in between the Wharton community and all the good restaurants and bars

Cons:
- Commute to the Wharton campus is ~30min door to door by bus or trolly. Generally not walkable.
- No doorman (but that's a sacrifice I personally don't mind given the price I'm paying)
- Depending on where your unit is, there can be lots of noise from the street

It's not the biggest or newest apartment, but everything works well and it's certainly the least expensive you can get in the rittenhouse area for an apartment

Great Apartment at a Very Reasonable Price for Quality/Amenities

Great property, with amazing management. But sizes are small.

1700 Chestnut is a great place to live. They have a few nice apartment layouts that are a bit bigger than others in the area and have more space. The amenities are also, nice with a really big common kitchen area! Management is responsive and very attentive. The only thing that is difficult sometimes is elevator access to certain areas of the building - the levels of the building are more free-flowing so it can be confusing and some apartments may not be directly accessible by a single elevator.

Overall, good value for MBAs looking for a studio.

Pros:
- Units are all newly renovated: lots of built-in storage, spacious walk-in closets, great lighting in the bathrooms (since it used to be a hotel), functional kitchens with nice countertops and dishwashers.
- The amenity space in 1700 Chestnut is right across the street, including a well-equipped gym and study spaces.
- The doormen and staff are great; management is very responsive and addresses maintenance issues ASAP.
- Location is convenient with lots of restaurants and shops right around the corner.

Cons:
- Street noise on low floors (worse than most NYC apartments)
- Flaky internet (resort to using a cell hotspot once a week)

New, modern building close to Center City and public transit