Oakwood 200 Squared

Awesome location, amazing door people and solid amenities.
The Loop is starting to blow-​up in terms of living and 200 Squared was ahead of the game. My one-​bedroom is really nice and i LOVE the floor to ceiling windows. It has an updated kitchen/​bathroom and an in-​unit washer and dryer.
Their workout room is surprisingly nice for a building, and I really like the indoor lap pool. I am a big fan of the outdoor area but the grills tend to be broken often and I don’t like that they close the hot tub for the winter.
Management isn’t the best but luckily after you sign you have very little interaction with them.
This building is pet-​friendly so depending on your stance on animals is a pro or con. If you do have a pet they have a very nice dog-​walk on the 11^th floor which is super convenient especially in the winter in Chicago.
All-​in-​all I would recommend 210 N Wells if you’re looking to live in the Loop

Lived here for 2.5 years and enjoyed many aspects of my time at Oakwood. Unfortunately, an issue with one of the front door staff marred my time here and was the main reason for moving, and for me posting this review. Without going into details, I was treated poorly by this staff member repeatedly for no apparent reason. The situation was brought up to management twice, and it only made things worse, not better. I actually felt threatened and feared for my safety before I moved out. Hopefully my situation is unique, but I feel badly for anyone who has to endue anything similar to what I did at Oakwood at the hands of this employee. Separately, the apartments are nice for the price, the other tenants are friendly, dog run is decent, parking is acceptable, and location is great. The train noise is constant though, and the «temporary housing» aspect does bring down the overall high-​end feel of living in the building. As long as you don’t expect anything you bring up to management to actually get resolved, Oakwood 200 squared is an OK place to be.

Yaaasssssssssss I got stuck in Chicago over night on a business trip and was put up here. All I can say is WOW. This was better than a hotel. And so close to everything.

This building was the best part of living in Chicago, and I would still be living there now if I didn’t escape to a warmer climate! Leasing was easy and my apartment was beautiful. My little dog loved living here too, and all the doormen knew her. The leasing office was very friendly and easy to work with. Only two negatives about this building: poor ventilation in the bathroom (I bought a fan and let it run all night) and some large breed dogs who definitely exceeded the weight limit. I heard about a few of the incidents that occurred with large dogs in the building and so I always carried my baby in and out of elevators and had no problems.

We moved into 200 Squared in April 2014 and could not be more happy with our choice. Convenient location — close to work, grocery stores, shopping, restaurants and the night life.
I have read some of the complaints in previous reviews and I really believe a lot has changed in the building since those reviews. Yes, the building is close to the CTA lines, so you do hear them pass by. When you have the windows closed it is not a problem at all, but when you have them open you can hear the train. It is something you get use to very quickly — we actually love it — it’s the sounds of the city (we actually miss it when we go on a trip).
Management has changed since we first moved in and the current management onsite is fantastic. They are always available to speak to you, are very friendly, and will address any questions or concerns immediately.
Maintenance — we have not had very many maintenance requests to be honest. It is a newer building (I believe 4 or 5 years old) and everything was done correctly when built. The finishing’s are very nice compared to other buildings we looked at in the area. The solid hard wood doors throughout and thick walls are great — we never hear our neighbors or anyone in the halls. The couple of maintenance requests we have had were always answered immediately and the maintenance personnel have always been very nice and courteous.
We have two smaller dogs and we use the dog walk area multiple times a day. This is a great area for the dogs, they get to socialize with other dogs, and you get to know your neighbors within the building. We are going on a year now and we have not had any troubles on the dog walk with other animals. All of the dog owners are very nice, clean up after themselves, and are always watching over their dogs. We could not find any place else within the heart of the city with a better dog walk.
The front door staff is the BEST! You cannot ask for better front door personnel — they are polite, get to know you and accommodate your every need. From general questions, to picking up package deliveries, to calling you when you have a food delivery — you will always be provided the best service!
It would be hard to pass up the amenities, location, management and staff at Oakwood 200 Squared. There may have been some hiccups in the past based on some of the reviews, but I really believe they listened and things have changed. I would highly recommend this building to anyone who is thinking about moving into the city.

The good :
–Doorstaff 5 stars. Really nice people. Very helpful and always polite.
–Really nice views on 33^rd floor and up, the other floors are obstructed so you will be looking out at bricks/​stone.
The Bad:
Sorry, no cell phone reception.
We are right on top of the EL so the train noise is significant ²⁴⁄₇ even on the 33^rd floor.
If it rains, it smells like the sewer, but you can get used to that over time.
I was supposed to be on a «no» pet floor (allergies). Cats, dogs you name it.
Maintenance requests? Good luck with those, not to worry; the parts are on order and will arrive, never.
Amenities, The party room is always rented, the hot tub was out of service 2 out of the 3 years I have been here, the deck is great if your key fob is working. You’ll likely need a security escort.
The Ugly:
management is incompetent and standoffish. Repair requests go months unanswered! The lease is worded with contradictory verbiage making it impossible to finish the lease without a lawyer.
Perhaps they should change the name to Hotel California.

I moved into a 1 bedroom apartment in Oakwood in March 2013. If I didn’t have to move for my job, I would have renewed my lease! The positives:
1. Value for money. To be able to live in the loop, in a «like new» unit, with access to a great indoor gym, swimming pool and steam room is just awesome! When my wife and me were looking for places in downtown Chicago, specifically in the Loop, Oakwood 200 had one of the lowest monthly rents. They also have a great pet policy where you have the option of making a flat, one-​time payment, instead of the $ 50 — $ 100 per month rates most other buildings demand.
2. Friendly and courteous staff at the door, always engaging in conversation, and ready to go above and beyond to help out. Amanda in the leasing office was always very understanding and friendly. Service requests were always taken care of very quickly. We put in 3 service requests, and never waited more than 2 hours for them to be fixed.
3. Great location. Plenty of shops and restaurants close by. Target and whole foods are just a few blocks away. Michigan avenue is just 6 blocks away. 3 starbucks locations in a 4 block radius. Depending on which unit you’re in, you also get a great view of the Chicago river, and if you’re high enough (we were on the 39^th floor), you get a view of lake Michigan too.
I do see some reviews complaining about owners not picking up after their pets. This is certainly true, but I don’t see how the building management is to blame for that. I’d often see the folks from Maintenance cleaning up the dog run in the afternoons (I worked from home, and could see the dog run from our living room), so they were on top of the situation.
Same issue with the dog attacks. There were 2 incidents while we were in the building. Thankfully, neither one involved our dog. But if someone lies on their apartment application and says they have no pets, and then sneaks in 2 aggressive dogs, there is unfortunately no easy way for management to find out. I did notice that on both instances, the owners of those pets were gone in about a week. I fully sympathize with the dogs that were attacked and their owners, but to blame this on management is unreasonable in my opinion.
Going off-​topic: A word of advice to pet owners, if you’re going into *any* off-​leash dog run, or see dogs entering, be sure to ask the owner if their dog is friendly. Regardless of where I live, or where I am, I always do this now.
Based solely on the quality of the apartment, the location and the price, I give this place 5 stars!

My wife and I moved into the Oakwood on March 17^th and we love it! We are on the 25^th floor with a spectacular view of the beautiful Chicago River. Our two bedroom condo has windows floor to ceiling and we really get a great «city vibe» from this place.
The amenities are on point! There is a dog run for our bulldog, an indoor pool with hot tub and steam room, workout facility and a dry cleaning service. Great location right in the Loop. Only downfall is that it’s next to the El tracks, however I don’t mind the noise. Overall, a great place to live in downtown Chicago.

Home Sweet Home! It’s great as has all the amenities you’d ever want right inside.

I have been here for almost 3 years, and I have to say it’s a really nice apt building. Amenities are awesome, as you can tell from other reviews; doorman is nice and helpful; Once you have sth not working in your apt, they come to fix it next day. What else do you expect? The only downside I can see is they don’t give residents discount for parking.

The studio apartments are very nice, with great views of the city. The pool, gym, and common areas are fantastic. You are walking distance to everything from the park to good restaurants and the theater district. But, I couldn’t stay more than a couple nights because of the noise. The trains just outside are so relentlessly loud that I had to vacate. I am not a light sleeper and I was on the 18^th floor, but it was just too much. Also, due to the fact that you have a full kitchen in your apartment, you will find that your bed is only a few feet from the refrigerator that kicks on and off all night. Again, this is a pretty nice place to stay, just beware of the noise.

Seems like a nice place for long term stay. I was meant to stay 6 weeks but left after 1 night. My problem was the noise from the elevated train out front. I was on the 17^th floor facing the front. I was brought up in NYC so I understand city noise but this train thing I could not handle. I put up this review only to make sure readers know its out there and may be an issue for some folks.

This is a great Apartment complex, Presidential Towers does not even come close to this building. Once you see the building it will sell itself with its full assortment of amenities, including indoor and outdoor pool, workout room, yoga room, and a dog run! I often felt segregated in Chicago having a dog… Not here, this is home. Tiffany is absolutely amazing and made the application and lease process so smooth. I will definitely call 200Squared home for years to come!

My dog and I moved here about 6 months ago and are absolutely loving it. Where do I start… The apartment has great modern finishes– but what really got me were the floor to ceiling windows– it makes the apartment feel much bigger & brighter. Great open floor plan as well, perfect for entertaining.
Also, the dog run is SO convenient! Especially in the winter and late night/​early morning. All the other dogs and doggie owners are friendly and pick up after their pets (for the most part). The building does a really great job keeping it clean. It’s also bigger than any other dog run I’ve seen in the city and definitely cleaner. The smell is a little funky but hey, what do you expect.
200 Squared met almost every requirement I had when searching for an apartment downtown: Floor to ceiling windows? Check. Full size washer and dryer? Check. Modern kitchen (granite, stainless steel appliances, dark cabinets)? Check. Balcony? Check. Hardwood Floors? Nope (this was the only thing I didn’t get– carpet is decent and I do like the porcelain tile in kitchen/​bathroom). Close to restaurants/​nightlife? Check (5 minute walk to River North and also walking distance to Michigan Ave & South Loop). Close to work & public transit to airports? CHECK! My office is actually at LaSalle & Lake so I have about a 35 second commute and can come home at lunch to take the dog out. Also I travel 3 – 4 days/​week for work and the Blueline Clark/​Lake stop is directly across the street and it’s a quick walk to the Orangeline at the Thompson Center. These conveniences make my life so much easier– not having the stress of a commute to/​from work is priceless. Also– close to SHOPPING! :) Only about 8 – 10 minute walk to State street where you’ll find Zara, Nordstrom Rack, H&M, Urban Outfitters, Block 37 mall (Akira, Sephora), Macy’s, the new Target… and a ton more! Also, there are Zip Cars in the attached parking garage– I’m actually thinking about getting rid of my car now that I live here. The gym, pool, recreation room and sun deck are super nice and modern– although I’m ashamed to say that I have only used the gym twice since I moved in :/​I feel like I do get so much more exercise from walking everywhere instead of having to drive so that makes up for it, right? AND– all this, in my price range. No where else I looked even came close to 200 Squared.
Next– the door staff are awesome. Towanna always takes the time out to give my dog a treat– she actually breaks it up into little pieces for him, just the way he likes it :) And Paul & Lee are always so nice and helpful. 24 hour package pick up– I love never having to come home to one of those «Sorry we missed you» stickers from FedEx/​UPS. They are always courteous to my guests and make sure to call me before they let anyone up. And the maintenance staff are also awesome. They always respond to my requests same day and really do seem to care and often have gone out of their way to make sure I’m happy here. I have never had any issues with the management. The application & move in process couldn’t have gone better. Tiffany is great and always gets back to my emails right away.
I really could go on and on. I’m so glad that Downtown Apartment Company (they are great– check them out and ask for Amanda!!) helped me find this place. Don’t let the location scare you– who lives in the Loop, right? Weird. Not at all– it’s genius if you ask me!

I moved to Chicago last year and did the apartment search just like anyone else in their 20’s that wants a place near River North, and also close to work in the loop.
The location is perfect, a 2 minute walk to Hubbard… also right outside is the Clark/​Lake stop.
The apartments are large and have granite and stainless and floor to ceiling windows. Service is perfect whenever an issue comes up as well as the doormen and women (looking at you Towanna).
Also, cheaper by $ 400 – 500 compared to similar places in River North.
Tiffany is the contact here and she always replies to my e-​mails same day.
Cool spot for sure!

My girlfriend lives at this building and I have to say, I am pretty impressed with with the service they provide here.
1) The door staff in the building is top notch. Even though I am technically not a resident they treat me like I am.
2) The apartments are nice with stainless steel appliances, dark cabinets, large bathrooms with euro style sinks, walk-​in closet, garbage disposal, and the best feature is the floor to ceiling windows! I love looking outside and see the Sears Tower (Yes, the Sears Tower… I can’t call it Willis) and City lights.
3) The amenities are nice as well. Located on the 13^th floor they have a great gym with state-​of-​the art equipment, indoor pool that opens up to the patio area which as a fire pit and BBQ grills. There is a hot tub but as not been running due to leaking i guess. There is also a party room with pool tables, fully equipped kitchen and media room.
4) The maintenance staff is on point as well. The smoke detector had gone off in the middle of the night due to a low battery. We called down to the front desk to notify them and the door guy said someone will be up shortly to fix the issue. (Note this is at 3:00 am and is the the main reason I am writing this review.) within 20 minutes, Joe was at the apartment taking care of the issue!
The building does have Corporate apartments that puts up guests for 30 days or more, which at first was a bit concerning but we found out that they do background checks on everyone which is comforting to know, especially for my girlfriends safety.
The nice thing about the corporate apartments is that residents can rent them out for their guest. We did this once for some friends and it cost $ 125 /​night for a one bedroom apartment! Great deal if you ask me.
I can’t confirm any prior post about the Management but my girlfriend as never had any issues. They did throw a sweet Luau Party this summer with free food, drinks, music and fire dancers! It was a blast!

Okay. Where to start? I have lived in the building for over a year now and it has been borderline okay, mainly because I have met some cool people on the building. Anyway, let’s go on with the review.
The Building: The finishes of the actual apartments are nice. Nice cabinets, windows, etc. Anything you would find at a «luxury» high-​rise building paying the type of money you will pay here. So far, I have not had any type of problem with my unit that the maintenance people (They are great!!!) have not been able to solve. Though I’ve heard horror stories on other units of people having to move out!!! Now, onto the ammenities, though they do seem nice, indoor pool, gym, jacuzzi (that never works), sauna, party room, etc. these are also high-​rise ammenity standards that would find anywhere else for which 200Squared try to stand out. There’s a space in the 11^th floor that used to be a dog run but no longer is utlized. They have some plants and green area but the space seems to be just there for no one to do anything with, which if you ask me is a waste of space!!! There’s also a business center with 4 computers of which 2 never work and also a broken printer. So overall, for the building I would give it a 3/​5, since it has some nice ammenities but for some reason half of them never seem to work when you want them to (maybe it’s just my luck!!!)
Management: Let’s start with the good. Front desk staff! They are all GREAT! Though I’ve had one previous issue before, for the last year and change I have lived in the building the whole front door staff has always been helpful and nice. Also, the maintence team is absolutely great!!! They are always saying hello, being very nice and just very helpful when there’s a problem in the units. They are very prompt in with their work orders. Now, the not so good, the management. Unfortunately the management has soured my stay in the building. I have already had a few issues with the management regarding different matters and they have seem very unresponsive, nonchalant and a little too lay back to act in issues that have affected me personally and other issues that have affected the rest of the community. I understand the laidback style type of management but if there’s a problem, it should be addressed with a sense of urgency that the issue requires. Instead, it seems like some people get in trouble and some don’t. At one point in time I got a $ 250 fine from management because «someone» saw me smoking. I don’t smoke, never have. Of course they removed the fine but I just find it a bit ridiculous that this happens. Also, at times on the dog floor (11^th floor) you will find dog feces on the floor, though it is not the management’s fault, I believe they are there to address this and do something about it. This is still the case sometimes. Pretty gross. I’m a dog owner and I find it absolutely disgusting I can only imagine the residents of that floor that do not even own dogs.
Anyway, unless they are going to give a huge concession, which is what they did with a lot of the current residents, take your business elsewhere. For the same amount of money you will find the same finishes and save you a a headache or two arguing with the management!!! Needless to say I can’t wait to move!!!

The only thing going for this community is the doorman and all the amenities. So it really depends on what is important to you. If amenities are what you are looking for this is it! If you are looking for a great management… not so much.
The staff are very put offish. I asked when I moved in August, to have one of my walls painted and they said yes but that it would be a side job so I would have to pay… not a problem. I checked in a few more times later to see if they would be able to do it and yes is the answer I received. They said it would be a side job… yada yada… gotta pay… yada yada… They make it seem like they would «when they get a chance» What does that even mean? If you say you are going to do something, just do it or tell me it cannot be done. Simple as that! It is now January and the wall is still not painted. I have given up on it at this point but I find that the staff promise things and they are never delivered.
The amenities are great. There is an indoor pool, sauna, hot tub (that rarely works), 24 hour fitness center, yoga classes and outside grills, dog run business center and a garden on the 11^th floor. The interior of the apartments are nice with regards to the carpet. It’s pretty cheap. After vaccuuming a couple of times the carpet shed so much it broke it.
I have a small dog. The dog run is great and in the building so I don’t have to go too far but there are so many aggressive breeds in the building. My dog doesn’t mind large dogs at all as she has grown up with 2 over 100lb dogs but having Rottweilers and Pit Bulls in the buliding is not safe for the other dogs by any means! My dog was actually attacked by one of them and they are no longer there for that reason. If management would have said no aggressive breeds in the building then the dog attacks would never happen. I’m pretty sure it says in the lease they are not allowed in the building. Everything is fine now but that is because the residents had to take of everything. I think they sent out a memo but I never got nor did a few other residents.
The dog drama is gone now and we all get along but this all could have been prevented.
I give this place 2 stars because I like the amenities but the mangement needs to get it together and communicate a little better.

Well thought I’d through my 2 cents in. Great for dogs! The large on site dog relief area was a dream come true for late night and early morning potty breaks. Most all the other pet owners were friendly and with friendly and some times painfully cute puppies and dogs. The decks are nice. The indoor pool is perfect for work outs. Our favorite thing about this place was the very friendly staff. My dog would pull me in the door to get his cookies from all his new best friends who were there to greet us 24hrs a day. We miss the staff and can’t wait to move back one day.
The river is very close.

Amazing layouts, gorgeous views, and a great staff. Definitely check out 200 Squared if you are wanting to rent in the loop. They do a great job showing you the building and an even better job taking care of you as a resident.