Gimme Shelter: The Chicago Weekly’s annual guide to Hyde Park housing
Blackstone Management
Locations: 54th and Woodlawn
Amenities: Some properties have off-street parking, a front porch, a dishwasher, and a second bathroom. All properties have a back porch, intercom system, laundry room, and bike rack. Heat and hot water included in the rent.
Rent Range:
Two-bedroom $1000-$1800
Three-bedroom $1000-$1800
Pros: Prime location, leasing office located close to apartments.
Cons: One month’s rent security deposit required with lease, gas and electricity not included in rent, no air-conditioning, lease stipulates “no dogs, no waterbeds, no parties.”
User Comments: “It takes Blackstone three weeks to mentally process any complaint.”—Elena Shkolnik
Notes: They don’t call it the student ghetto for nothing. The buildings on Woodlawn are filled with college and graduate students, so there will always be a neighbor with sugar to lend, as well as aspiring rock bands that play until 3am. Owners are resistant to making repairs on the amenities, and they reportedly fix chronic heating issues only after a day or two during the cold winter. Clients often feel that their complaints are not taken seriously and report being reproached by the owner and/or her son after asking for repairs. Despite the difficulties, these apartments remain highly coveted living spaces due to their convenient location around the corner from the Kimbark shopping center (which houses Kimbark Liquors, Hyde Park Produce, and a CVS), and their ten-minute walking distance campus. Leases begin on June 15.
Contact: Blackstone Management, 5413 S. Woodlawn Ave. (773)667-1568 (Sarah Pickering)
Columbian Apartments
Location: 5222 S. Harper Ave.
Amenities: Electricity included with rent.
Rent Range:
Smaller studio $575
Larger studio $675
Pros: There are lease dates available that begin in September, as well as short-term lease options for as few as three months. There is no move-in fee.
Cons: There is a required security deposit that is dependent upon your credit history. For good credit, the security deposit is one month’s rent; for poor credit, the security deposit will be three months’ rent.
Notes: Columbian Apartments is a building on the east end of Hyde Park with only studio apartments. There are two sizes of available studios—a small, basic studio, and a larger studio with a more spacious kitchen and bigger closet.
Contact: Oscar Hinojosa (manager), 5222 S. Harper Ave. (773)752-7788 (Rachel Wiseman)
Flamingo Apartments
Location: 5500 S. South Shore Dr.
Amenities: 24-hour lobby attendant, fitness center, outdoor pool, Bar Louie restaurant downstairs. Heat, gas, and water included in rent.
Rent Range:
Studios from $675
Convertible apartments from $800
One-bedrooms from $1040
Pros: Only three-month minimum stay, leases available throughout the year. No security deposit. Gorgeous lake views if you’re lucky, and it’s close to the 6 and the Metra.
Cons: With few undergraduate residents, it may be too sedate for some, though Bar Louie at night generates noise. Twenty-minute walk to campus. Non-refundable move-in fee of $300 for a studio, $400 for a one-bedroom.
User Comments: “I really like the Flamingo—the managers are attentive, maintenance is always quick, and it’s nice having things like a front desk and a pool. People are pretty quiet, and if you open your windows the smell of two-dollar Bar Louie burgers wafts in (possibly a bonus). You have to fight Shoreland people for the 171, but I guess that won’t be a problem next year. It’s great if you like the lake but are too poor for Regents.”—Natalie Linwong
Contact: Flamingo Apartments, 5500 S. South Shore Dr. (773)752-3800. flamingoapartments.com (Helenmary Sheridan)
Globe Realty
Locations: 55th and Everett
Amenities: Hot water, heat, and appliances included with rent.
Rent Range:
Studio $625
One-bedroom $675-$800
Two-bedroom $1000
Pros: Large rooms, pet-friendly, near the lake.
Cons: Poor maintenance, no laundry facilities.
User Comments: “The living room itself was as big as some of the one-bed apartments I see on the North Side.”—Yelp user Krsna V.
Contact: Globe Realty, 1625 E. 74th St. (773)955-0000. globerealtyonline.com (Robin Peterson)
MAC Property Management
Locations: Throughout Hyde Park.
Amenities: Varies from unit to unit. Can include walk-in closets, hardwood floors, dishwashers, central heating and air included in rent, bicycle storage, elevators, controlled access, fitness center, and parking.
Rent Range:
Studio $500-$1000
Two-bedroom $1000-$1400
Three-bedroom $1400-$1800
Four-bedroom $2000-$2400
Pros: Huge variety of locations, amenities, and rents to suit many needs; responsive maintenance team with a 24-hour hotline; high-security locks; no security deposit.
Cons: Rents have been going up quite a bit; some complain MAC has a monopoly on the Hyde Park rental market; after the K&G buyout, it took a long time for them to get a handle on their business. Non-refundable one-time move-in fee.
User Comments: “Work orders are processed quickly, and the servicemen are always friendly and efficient. But they’ve raised our rent over $200 in the two years we’ve lived here. Not cool.”–Peter Gil-Montllor
Notes: MAC is the big kahuna of the Hyde Park rental market. MAC struggled for awhile after taking over the (often rundown) K&G apartments a few years back, but it seems like the company has finally come into its own; complaints about work order response times have dwindled. MAC has certainly become more centralized and, as a result, more opaque, but there are some advantages to the cookie cutter treatment: their large number of customers allows them to provide services like a large maintenance team with a 24-hour emergency phone line, and you get standardized leases with few ugly surprises. And you might as well learn to live with it: by sheer statistics, you’ll probably end up living in a MAC apartment anyway.
Contact: MAC Property Management leasing office, 5418 S. Woodlawn Ave., Suite G. (773)548-5077. macapartments.com (Katie Buitrago)
Madison Hyde Park Apartments
Location: 51st and Dorchester
Amenities: Dishwasher, heat, central air, and hot water included with rent. Parking available from $70-$80/month.
Rent Range:
Studio $825-$885
Two-Bedroom (One Bathroom) $1000-$1100
Two-Bedroom (Two Bathroom) $1100-$1250
Pros: Cats OK, handicap accessible, laundry rooms on site, nearby bus routes.
Cons: Somewhat of a long walk to campus if you miss the bus.
User Comments: “Most of the apartments are quite spacious and well-maintained, and the location is really good—it’s quiet and there’s a nice park outside.” –Anonymous tenant
Contact: Madison Hyde Park Apartments, 1380 E. Hyde Park Blvd. (773)536-4300 (Emilie Shumway)
Mr. Lin’s Apartments
Locations: 56th and Drexel, 55th and Dorchester, 56th and Maryland
Amenities: Heat, water, internet included with rent; electricity and gas also included in basement apartments.
Rent Range:
One-bedroom $550-$650
Two-bedroom $650-$1000
Three-bedroom $900-$1400
Four-bedroom $1800-$2000
Pros: Spectacularly cheap rent in basement apartments, friendly landlord with a small operation, laundry on-site.
Cons: Apartments can be run-down, and maintenance is sometimes an issue with small landlords. Mr. Lin is available exclusively by telephone.
Notes: Since Mr. Lin is the sole operator here and has no web presence, it can be hard to know what’s available. Your best bet is to call him with your requirements and see if any available apartments match them.
Contact: Mr. Lin, (773)241-6854 (Michael Joyce)
Parker-Holsman
Locations: 50th and Blackstone, 50th and Dorchester, 54th and Harper
Amenities: Vary, but can include dishwashers, heating, parking, and air conditioning in addition to laundry and water.
Rent Range:
One-bedroom $650-$895
Two-bedroom $900-$1100
House or townhouse $2500
Pros: Parker-Holsman is a moderately-sized landlord with a range of properties and relatively competitive rents.
Cons: Many properties are at the fringes of student neighborhoods. Very little uniformity in amenities. No dogs or cats.
Contact: Parker-Holsman Co., 1461 E. 57th St. (773)493-2525, rental@parkerholsman.com (Michael Joyce)
Poinsettia Apartments
Location: 5528 S. Hyde Park Blvd.
Amenities: Electric, water, heating, and gas included in rent.
Rent Range:
Studio $650-$720
One-bedroom $825-$890
Two-bedroom $1350-$1400
Pros: 24-hour maintenance service. New hardwood floor and kitchen cabinets installed before every move-in. Some rooms have full or partial lake views. Laundry and bike rooms.
Cons: Located somewhat far from campus. Some professors and older folks live in the building, so excessive noise is probably a no-no.
Notes: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its detailed terra cotta ornamentation.
Contact: Monica Domanski, (773)934-9758 (Sean Redmond)
Steps Away
Locations: 6130 S. Ellis Ave, 6126 S. Ellis Ave, 6112 S. Kimbark Ave.
Amenities: Heat and water included, except in Kimbark units, where heat/AC must be paid for separately. Internet included with rent at all locations. Gated parking available for $50/month.
Rent Range:
One-bedroom of a one-, two- or three-bedroom unit $500
One-bedroom of a four-bedroom unit (Kimbark only) $550
Master bedroom with private bath (Kimbark only) $600
Pros: All units fully furnished, including TV (with free satellite cable access), dishwasher, full-size bed, desk, dining room table, microwave, pots and pans, refrigerator, etc. Rents will never increase on tenants for as long as they continue to renew their lease. Laundry rooms present, with bike storage available.
Cons: Each room is rented separately. Some may be averse to the south of the Midway location, but with a new University of Chicago dorm opening in the area, it should quickly become a much more desirable location.
Notes: One, two and three bedroom apartments available at the Ellis locations, three and four bedroom apartments at the Kimbark location, but rooms are always rented out on an individual basis. First floor of the 6130 S. Ellis building is reserved for female renters who don’t want male roommates. Formerly rented only to students, but Kimbark location now houses students as well as some professors.
Contact: Tim O’Connell, (773)447-7520. geocities.com/stepsawayhydepark (Sean Redmond)
The Versailles
Location: 5254 S. Dorchester Ave.
Amenities: 24-hour lobby attendant, on-site manager, laundry, fitness center.
Rent Range: Studio $585-$745
Pros: Good security, well-kept lobby, cat-friendly.
Cons: Small rooms.
User Comments: “I couldn’t even open the window in the summer because of the overwhelming frying smells coming up from Nathan’s—the fast food around the corner.” –Yelp user Aurore L.
Contact: The Versailles, 5254 S. Dorchester Ave. (773)324-0200 (Robin Peterson)
