Onterie Center

Great location and great views from the rooftop, right? Well that really isn’t the only thing that matters when you actually live here…
1) Parking: Parking here sucks, to say the least. Granted I am not a tenant here anymore, when I lived here, this was probably the worst part about my daily commute to go up and down the narrow and poorly designed parking structure. It didn’t help that the parking structure was always packed with cars, forcing me to go all the way up to the top floors to find only a very… very narrow spot. Hopefully you won’t have a car when you decide to live here!
2) Elevators: This is a given in any high-​rise apartment complex, but when there are frequent elevator maintenance/​closures, it becomes even more of a nuisance. During busy rush-​hour times, expect to wait about 10 minutes from actually getting ON an elevator, and then making it all the way down or up to your desired floor.
3) Cooling/​Heating: Each unit seems to come with their own individual heating/​cooling system with settings for cooling/​heating, on low, medium, or high. Seems reasonable, until you actually turn it on – it is SO loud. Especially if you live in a studio, this becomes unbearable when you have to sleep right next to the blaring sound of your cooling/​heating system.

I already posted this review on the Axis page (Onterie Center is now Axis), but just in case I am posting here as well! Here you go…
My husband and I moved into one of the Axis lofts this February. Our first encounter during the leasing process was with Krista. She was absolutely amazing and continues to always be available and help out in any way that she can… she always wants the tenants to be happy and it shows. AJ is also another star in the leasing office… both he and Krista have such winning attitudes. Sean is a great new addition to the leasing team and he fit in right away and you can tell that the residents are growing very attached to him as well. Even our dog Mika loves them… she cannot go past the leasing office without trying to go in for a visit!
Steven and Robert at the front desk of the main tower are two of the hardest working men around and even though they are responsible for a lot they are always upbeat and always happy to help. And Steven is quite the dog lover and has treats for the dogs… it is so cute to see the dogs go to his desk and wait politely for a «cookie».
Maintenance is always responsive and if something cannot be taken care of immediately they will let you know the reason and give you an ETA. Miguel is truly a standout. Whenever we see him he makes a point to check with us to see everything if everything is okay in our apartment or if we need anything.
We love our spacious loft and really appreciate its high ceilings. The gym in the main tower is a great amenity and the sky deck on the 60^th floor has been beautifully renovated with super high-​end finishes. Overall our experience has been great and the amazing staff really makes sure that this place feels like home. I have recommended this place to many and will continue to do so.

Note: As of recently, Onterie Center has been purchased by Village Green and is now known as Axis. From what I can tell, Axis is a huge improvement over Onterie Center.
I’ve been living at Axis Apartments since mid-​February. My roommate and I share a spacious one-​bedroom corner unit. Thus far, we’ve had a great experience. The one bedroom easily contains both of our full size beds and a couple of dressers. The bedroom closet and surprise of a walk-​in by the front door is the perfect amount of space for two twenty-​something year old females (including upwards of 90 pairs of shoes, we counted). The living room is *almost* too big. Our entire unit is newly renovated with a gorgeous eco-​friendly kitchen (stainless steel Whirlpool appliances included) and nearly-​authentic wood floors. Yes, I am in heaven.
Any maintenance issues have been immediately repaired, which is awesome. I guess the walls are relatively thin but we haven’t heard our neighbors whatsoever — maybe they just don’t exist?
I don’t work out so it’s hard for me to rate the gym and other amenities. Our only complaint is the incredibly inefficient heating/​cooling units. But hey, no one’s perfect. On occasion the elevators take a while, but I think that’s because the entire building is still undergoing renovations. Doormen are great and the package/​delivery service rocks.
There’s a beautiful 7 – 11 right outside on the corner of McClurg and Ontario, as well as a sort of ghetto McDonalds, and a building with a Treasure Island, Ace Hardware, and Walgreens on the other side of Erie Street. The building is also steps away from the lakefront path.
The best part? The 60^th floor, open air, 360 degree rooftop with the most spectacular views of the city. Unfortunately, winter is still hanging out in this damned city, so I have yet to experience a warm, sunny day up there.
Taking into consideration the location (love Streeterville), the brand new renovations, the price, and the management and service thus far, I would highly recommend Axis to anybody looking to rent in downtown Chicago.

After having lived in Wicker Park for over a year, I sure missed the neighborhood when I first moved into this building in Streeterville. But the building’s facilities, its convenient location and breathtaking views of the lake from the apartment have all won me over and have made up somewhat for the lack of neighborhood flavor in the area. The package receiving services offered by the front desk staff has particularly been immensely useful in light of the fact that I am a frequent business traveler and am away ~20 days in a month. The location has an excellent walk score of ⁹⁷⁄₁₀₀ — A Treasure Island is located right across from the building if you are in need of emergency groceries. Stephen and Richard are the 2 main front desk staff — they are both super nice and courteous to residents.
My major complaints are with the parking garage renovations that have been ongoing for the past 8 months. Postings of level closures are put up in the last minute and since I am out of town for several days in a row, I seldom catch the notices in time. The garage was closed for an entire month and a half and we had to park 0.4 miles away at the AMC garage — which is not all that far, but annoying nonetheless, to walk back and forth in freezing temperature with bags full of groceries.

I recently moved in one of the 1 bed apartment. I was astonished with the first month utility bill of COMED which was whoopingly high and later found out that it is beacuse of the inefficeint heaters installed the apartment.
The leasing person did not cautioned us about that, infact did some good advertizment about those heaters. Please consider this when you plan to move in.

I don’t really understand all of the negative reviews. I’ve lived here for 3 years in a one bedroom apartment and I consider myself to have pretty high standards. I’ve really liked it. The lobby was renovated about 2.5 years ago, and many of the apartments are renovated — I’m in one with an updated kitchen/​bath and it is very nice and spacious (over 900 sq feet). The doormen are nice, the package receiving is great, and there is a large enough laundry room with high end front-​load machines that are typically always available. My maintenance requests are taken care of same day. I never hear the neighbors on either side. I don’t LOVE the location (too touristy) but I’m a resident at Northwestern and can’t beat the commute (~4 minutes to the hospital). I almost didn’t look here because of the reviews, and am really glad I did. The heating and AC window units aren’t my favorite (would prefer central) but they work very well. My only complaint is that it is getting a little bit too expensive as it gets nicer and the economy picks up. There is also an on-​premise dry cleaner (fairly affordable) and gym (I’m not a member so can’t speak to that) and a Treasure island grocery store in the building across the street (also Dominick’s about 4 – 5 blocks).

Worst apartment I have ever lived in!!! I’m counting down the days until I can move out!!! I can’t believe I paid so much money for such a dump!!! Hopefully the elevators will be working when I move out considering they never do. Not uncommon to wait 15 – 20 minutes some morning for the elevator so make sure you tack on that time to your commute. The management office is rude and unprofessional. I’ve reached out to the several times, to several different people and I’m still waiting on a response, weeks later. Every time I see someone on a tour of the apartment I just think, if you know what’s best for you do not move here!!! Most places would ask their tenants if they like the apartment but I’m pretty sure the leasing office knows better because I’m sure most responses are they hate the building and their apartment. The laundry room is dirty, small, over priced and the machines don’t even work. I always find dirt and debris in the machines before I use which makes me wonder if I’m just wasting my time cleaning my clothes there. The hallways smell. I hope you don’t look for an apartment where you can control the temperature of the apartment or your refrigerator because you won’t find it here. I’ve called several times about both and nothing is ever done. Electricity bill is between $ 150-​$ 200 a month for a 1 bedroom and my husband and I work 45+ hours a week plus commuting time and we usually go to the gym for an hour or two after work. We also travel 1 – 2 weekends a month so we are barely there but still have outrageous utility bills. The gym is old, outdated and small and they still make tenants pay for it. Don’t waste your time or money there. If you get a package it takes a few days before they actually notify you so I hope you don’t get packages or mail delivered and actually expect to get it on time because that won’t happen. I could go on but I hope people get the message. DO NOT MOVE HERE!!!

My neighbors smoke like chimneys, and I am forced to smell their smoke all day. Sometimes I wake up at 6:30 in the morning to the smell of smoke and go to bed at 11 pm to the smell of smoke. For the amount I pay for a peaceful space to myself, this is ridiculous and unacceptable. Management has not been helpful at all, saying only that my neighbors are allowed to smoke. Closing my kitchen vent has not helped at all. Opening my one very small window helps a little bit, but this is not a good solution for winter. Sometimes I leave the apartment door open when I sleep to try to get the smoke out – hardly a safe thing but something I have to resort to in order to preserve my health. The Onterie Center is willing to put the health of non-​smokers at risk, and has not done anything substantive to address this problem. To be honest, given how old the building is, I am unsure whether there are any solutions.
Update–
I ended up moving to the River East Center. The sound insulation was much better, and I had no more smoke problems. I believe people are allowed to smoke there, too, but the air circulation systems did not funnel my neighbors’ smells into my apartment (thank goodness). The doormen were quite nice, too.

Just a regular apartment building with snooty people that pay way too much for a place. The only good thing I have to say about this place is the security/​desk people are very nice.

Moved into this place when it was built in the early 80’s.
From what I have heard there has been little in renovations.
The apartments are separated by double drywall. No insulation.
So you can lay awake at night in your bed and hear the people in the next apartment talking.
Cooling and heating has always been a problem. The biggest being no thermostat. So on a cold or hot day you will invariably wake up and have to turn it off, and again to turn it back on.
Elevators are slow due to sharing them with 60 floor.
Security and parking is nice.
What made us move out were the thin walls. I would run a noise maker in the bedroom so the people talking would not wake me up.
Also was a bit bothering when you could smell what they were cooking next door.
The final straw was when the neighbors kitchen abutted our bathroom. Evidently the neighbors had a cockroach problem. Because every time we went into the bathroom it had about a dozen cockroaches. One time I banged on the wall and about 20 cockroaches came boiling out of the wall through the plumbing fixtures and electrical socket.
Management wouldn’t do anything so we had to leave.

Onterie Center was our 2^nd apartment in the city and although we loved our apartment, the view, and the staff… there were many dislikes about living here.
–The elevators were a constant problem and after reading other reviews, I see that it has been an issue for many years. It seemed to be that there was always at least one elevator not working and with only 4 to begin with in a 60 floor building it caused frequent problems. I have waited over 10 minutes at times only to find that when one finally arrives it is already packed. Sometimes they were fine but it became an issue if you were in a hurry and they were slow
–The hallways smelled terrible most of the time, especially in the summer because of the trash system
–Bike storage was usually an issue… the storage is in the connected garage and to get to your bike you must request the key from the front desk and then return it after which was time consuming and at times there would be nobody at the front desk early in the morning or the key would be lost… it wasn’t easy access at all
–The laundry room was not the best and on multiple occassions I found the dryer open with my clothes still wet when I went to get them, or holes ripped in my clothing from getting caught somehow in the washer.
–The heating/​cooling units are like hotels, just a basic unit near the window, not central flow so it was difficult to regulate the temp of the apartment… and no automatic setting available.

Onterie Center used to be a lot better. However, with the new cheapskate owners, it has gotten quite awful. They have cut down on all of the staff, including security, maintenance and the cleaning people.
They like to bill the premises as «luxury living,» however, I distinctly remember one night where someone had vomited in the elevator and it was left there overnight. Yuck!
If someone 4 floors away is playing loud music you will hear it loud and clear, as the sound-​proofing is nonexistent.
For heating and ac, you have these dumb units stuck by the windows – no central heating or air. Your utility bills will be very expensive as the building is not well insulated.
The one good point is the gorgeous views of the lake if you have an upper unit.

This building comes off a lot better in the tour than it does when you actually live here.
Positives:
The location is awesome. Anything and everything is within blocks or in the next building. Treasure Island, Starbucks, 7Eleven, McDonalds and more are all within steps of the building. Go a few more bocks for Panera, Corner Bakery, AMC movie theater, Dominicks Grocery store with free parking, IMAX at Navy Pier, nail salon, etc… everything is right here!
The building staff is fantastic. Jocelyn, Robert, and the others that are at the front desk are fantastic. They bend over backwards for you!
The views from the apartments and sundeck are incredible — unless you’re infested with spiders. They’re a big problem for everyone in the building. They’re all over the outisde of your windows and some get inside.
The laundry room is pretty great. Lots of washers and dryers — I never have to wait.
Negatives
The elevators take FOREVER and are not air conditioned. They are constantly fixing them and with 60 floors, it can take a long time to get down from your apartment. Plus with all the potential renters taking tours of the building, they use the elevators a lot and increase the wait time. This is a very frustrating thing about living here. It is more of an issue for a friend of mine who lives on the 56^th floor — he waits longer than I do in the high 30s.
Expect to spend little on heat in the winter but a FORTUNE on air conditioning. The wall units are super-​old and take a lot of energy to run. I live in a 1.5 bedroom and my AC bill was over $ 200 in July, and I’m at work 10 hours a day without it running. And when I’m home, it’s only on in the room I’m in. Te shades don’t keep the sunlight out and it’s expensive to cool it.
The walls are not insulated well — for noise or smoke. The recent world cup had people screaming all day and night on my floor and guests that were smoking. You can smell the garbage chute well down the hallway too because people don’t close it. So, when you get off the elevator, they’re a good chance you’ll either smell trash, smoke, or a mixture of both.
The specials for moving in are nice, but when you take all that away, the rent really is high for such an older building. Plus the gym is extra and so is the party room on the sundeck. I heard that they’re discussing rental fees, but the guy in the management office told a neighbor that it would be at least $ 500 to rent it, and not to complain because the building he lives in charges $ 750 and up. We waited months to use the roof and that finally opened. But that room costing at least $ 500 is just unfair. It was under construction when I moved in last year and a selling point. There was no mention of an insane charge to use it. $ 200 I could understand but this is just typical of this place.
There is no recycling program in place. There’s no point in separating out your garbage/​recycleables because they throw it all away.
I used a broker when I leased so I didn’t deal with the leasing people as much but they’ve always been nice when I see them in the elevator with clients. The management office isn’t quite so nice — very short with you on the phone, etc. It is frustrating. They all seem to be about 25 years old and treat you like assholes sometimes — just like the guy down there spoke to my neighbor about the party room and copped an attitude. It’s typical. Sometimes the girls are nice. It’s hit or miss. Front desk = always awesome. The manager at the gym — ask everyone — he’s rude as all hell.
I hope this sheds some light on Onterie living! I’ve been here for a year and likely will not resign for another year. There’s way more for your money right down here.
There are a lot of students, hospital workers, old people, and a few section eight. The building turns into a college dorm on weekends with people coming in and out carrying open bottles of liquor and stumbling all over.

Not a big fan. This is the first place I lived when I arrived in Chicago. Streeterville is a nice neighborhood, no doubt, but you’ll definitely find better places in condos.
Negatives: I’m in a one bedroom + den, and I swear there is no sound-​proofing in this building. I can hear everything through the walls and vents. The management office is really sketch about their «recycling program» which is nonexistent. As an environmentally responsible Californian, I inquired several times about what to do with my recycling before I gave up and just brought my recyclables to campus. Responses to my inquiries definitely stopped when I mentioned that by law they are required to have a program in place. SO SHADY! And extremely environmentally irresponsible considering the fact that there are 60 floors in this building. Laundry facilities are on the Sundeck which sucks if you’re not living in the top 20 – 30 floors of the building. Gym facilities are not included, and rent is high. Gets pretty noisy because of all the traffic and construction going on around the building. They’re usually a day late with letting you know that your package has arrived, and they have on occasion mislabeled my packages. I echo Jessica S’s complaints about the kitchen appliances. They’re definitely really old school and outdated. Also, the windows in the units are so old and awful with insulation. you waste so much money on a/​c and heating because they do practically nothing to keep the cold/​hot out.
Pluses: Most of the doormen/​doorwomen are very nice. They’re on duty 24 hours a day, so it’s safe. Maintenance tends to act fairly quickly. Great view on the sundeck. If you’re willing to splurge, you can get pretty great lake views on the upper floors. Otherwise, you’re stuck facing other apartments. Convenient location. They’re currently renovating their apartments with new appliances and wood floors. That might make it nicer to live here if they don’t over-​inflate their prices.
There’s no security deposit, but they do charge you a non-​refundable move-​in fee that’s supposed to cover the cleaning/​maintenance costs before you move out. However, a couple of my friends recently moved out after cleaning their apartment well and were still charged a $ 100 cleaning fee. BS!
They get 3 stars only because of the friendly maintenance people and doorpeople.

In our hunt for a new place we tumbled onto Onterie Center. The price seemed okay for the neighborhood and the location was great– at McClurg and Ontario.
The floor plans are interesting, not the typical rectangle you get in most places and the views were ridiculously awesome. You have views in three directions in most places. You have a clear shot of the Navy Pier fireworks from the higher floors and they have a top floor deck that is open for the fireworks weather permitting. These were jaw dropping views– no doubt about it.
On to the negatives. The appliances were from the 70’s. Literally. The microwave had a knob. It would have taken 15 minutes to make popcorn. I mean– come on– if I am paying $ 1600 for a one bedroom you better give me some new appliances. You can get a microwave for like $ 100. The place was über dated and the closet space was not laid out as well as others. And it seemed like getting management to do anything might be a struggle.
A great place if you are looking for a view, just not if you are a kitchen snob.

Great view, but that’s really the only nice thing I have to say about living in this building. Here’s the rest of the picture: 1980s cabinets and countertops, small and frequently-​broken elevators, floors and ceilings that aren’t level, shifts in the building leading to recurring cracks in the paint, poor security, thin walls that leave nothing to the imagination, heating and air conditioning units which have no thermostats (this is the 21^st century, last I checked), leaky window frames that drive up heating and air conditioning costs, a crappy fitness center that still charges $ 60/​month, a parking garage with spots so small I can barely fit my compact car, and a management staff that keeps you in the dark and will leave your inquiries unanswered for weeks at a time. They call this a «luxury» aparment building, but now that I’ve lived here for a couple years, I can’t believe they say that with a straight face.

This tower is basically a concrete version of the John Hancock Center. The chief structural engineer for this project was Fazlur Khan, who held the same title for the Hancock and Sears Tower jobs. It stands between Ontario and Erie in Streeterville.