BJB Properties

I have enjoyed living in my apartment complex. It is clean and close to the school.

What the property manager showed me in the virtual visit was exactly what I found. No surprises. The management service is outstanding, and the apartment is huge, with great closets. The building is recently renovated, has excellent appliances and heat included, and is close to Northwestern's Shuttle stop and Morse station (red line).

So far my experience here has been great. The location is wonderful right near Lincoln Park and located really close to public transportation and lots of shopping. The apartment is extremely small but well kept, the building has a small gym and rooftop, and I haven't encountered any issues. I haven't had to utilize maintenance yet so I don't have feedback on responsiveness of management, but in the few months I've lived here I've had a good experience.

There are only studio apartments in the building which are all relatively small (about 300sq ft). Nothing about the building will blow you away however for the being in arguably the nicest neighborhood in Chicago, it is a pretty good value. It is less than a 10 minute walk to Kent with plenty of stores, restaurants, and bars in the area. Greek town and West loop have been very safe in my experience and I have had no issues with the building or walking in the area. Along with rent, you pay for electricity and heating utilities which come to about $20-$30 per month. Available for all tenants(at no extra charge) is a basement laundry room (takes debit card), gym (minimal equipment), basement storage unit, rooftop patio (which has a nice view of the skyline), and first floor lounge. It is also convenient that the building has a leasing office on the first floor. Overall I have been pleased with my time in the building and I renewed my lease for my 2L year. If you can afford the rent, it is a good place to live in a great area of the city.

The building has been quiet, which is one of my requirements as a student. The management is highly responsive and kind. Of course, any studio apartment in the city is going to be a bit tight on space, but it's fine for now and I specifically appreciate that it's a bit more modern and cleaner than other studio-only complexes that I came across. Moved in several months ago, but already planning to stay here for the next 2 years.

As far as storage space, I was pleasantly surprised to have a walk-in closet- albeit, a small-ish one as far as walk-in's go, but still larger than your standard non-walk-in closet. You also get to choose a small storage cage in the basement that you can lock, so that's been nice to use for my luggage and larger items that I'm not actively using.

Overall: I have lived in this building for over two years and it has been perfect for me! Would highly recommend for students at Rush (or UIC) who do not have a vehicle.

Pros: If you rely on public transit, this location is perfect! It is a short walk to the CTA Blue Line, Union Station, Ogilvie Transportation Center, and several CTA busses. The door-to-door commute to Rush is roughly 20 minutes. The units in this building are also some of the cheapest in Greektown/West Loop which is great for students on a budget. Some other things I like about the building are the package room (no packages left outside on the sidewalk!), the laundry room, and the free storage lockers. Arguably my favorite part of the building is the rooftop which is open to all residents and has great views!

Cons: The most obvious downside is the small size of the units. Aside from this, the my only complaint is the lack of amenities. There is a gym but it is limited to treadmills and elliptical machines.

Easy commute by bus, walkable and convenient/safe neighborhood

Good location, great value, easy to get to school on the bus

Pros: The appeal of this apartment is definitely it's location! It's walking distance to the CTA Blue Line, Ogilvie Transportation Center, Union Station, and multiple CTA bus stops (I use the #7 and #126 to get to Rush). It's also really close to Mariano's, Whole Foods, and several restaurants. The units were recently renovated and the kitchen appliances are nice. Rent includes water, internet, and cable so you don't have to worry about paying for all of that. There is a laundry room and small gym in the basement along with a room of storage lockers that tenants can use at no cost. One of my favorite parts is the rooftop because the views are great and it's a fun place to hangout with friends. Management has been great so far and respond to emails/maintenance requests quickly.

Cons: The biggest flaw is definitely the small size of the units. If you rent a studio, it's probably best to get a full size bed instead of a queen or king. I also feel like $1235 is pretty steep based on the small size and lack of amenities, but Greektown/West Loop are pricey neighborhoods in general.

This is a good apartment with a great view. The management is helpful and prompt with solving issues. I was lucky to find good roommates too. It's a good price for the location, but there may be places which are about a 100 cheaper in the vicinity, if you look hard enough.

Great space. Highly recommended. Can't say enough good things about it. You can't go wrong with living there. There's a bedroom and a bathroom. Both work really well. Better than expected even. I've told all my friends about it. If I had more friends I would tell them about it!

Management is very responsive to all my tenant needs, great location. I have a dishwasher and walk in closet, which is an extremely rare find in this neighborhood! It's an older building but everything is in good condition. Plus a security guard at night helps keep the property safe!

I've been at 1837 Patterson for a few years and overall am pleased with the building and management. Can't beat the location, and street parking is relatively easy. Maintenance is very responsive and the building engineer does a great job. Cable and internet is included, but very basic and was a little disappointed with the recent cable package downgrade. Laundry is coin operated, which is probably the biggest downside. Residents are mostly single working professionals and haven't had any issues with noise. Pet friendly building and close to the brown line and buses.

I moved to Chicago and didn't really know anything about the city or where to live. I ended up living in a small studio in Lakeview and I really loved it. Rent was inexpensive, but the room was extremely small. When you live alone you don't need much though. You did have to pay for laundry downstairs on the first floor, and the elevator was extremely old and slow. It's not bad for a first apartment, but I wanted to move after a year.

Overall BJB Properties was a good experience. There were 2 main things that annoyed me about my studio apartment. 1 - There was very little sunlight. Many of the units face the east but the hospital blocks all of the sun, making the small studio apartments like a cave. 2 - There was always a smell of smoke and weed in the hallway. The apartment doesn't allow smoking anywhere (per the lease) but they apparently never enforced it.

There is a front desk person from 5-1am so overall it feels pretty safe.