Newseum Residences

I have never provided a review on Unilocal but when I asked someone connected to Bozzuto how I can share my appreciation, the recommendation was social media — so here goes…
Living in a vertical neighborhood as special as Newseum Residences is as good is gets if you love DC. Newseum residency is truly about living among the DC museums, historical buildings and monuments that light up at night and that you can see from either your apartment views or Newseum residence rooftop. The National mall is a 2 block walk. What gives it the five stars is location, location, location. The five stars are also because of the warm and accommodating management from Bradley Halverson to the Concierges that will work so hard to meet all your needs. It is the Monthly Wine down Wednesdays where you can meet and greet your neighbors but the environment is so low key that it just feels like an easy going, non networking, hang out among neighbors you actually enjoy meeting because they are interesting, accomplished and share the same joys of living (in DC) that you do. Bradley is key to creating this environment. It is living so close to the Newseum that celebrates our Freedom — the best museum in the world that celebrates our US power of the First Amendment. It is living among the noted best restaurants in DC that were also voted best in the country which are within a walkable 2 — 3 block radius. Life is good at the Newseum Residences. This is the place to live if you want to be in the heart of Pierre Charles L’ Enfant’s vision of DC — a walkable paradise open to all. If you are lucky enough to live at the Newsmen Residences — go for it!

The location of Newseum Residences is great, but the actual apartment is kind of disappointing. The knife we were supplied with was dull and made cooking with it very difficult. As an example of how disappointing the apartment was… there was often no hot water for a shower. I do not believe I even had that issue in a developing country!
The staff was very nice and usually considerate. That they allow pets is great, but no pets on their roof. So that was kind of annoying.

Newseum Residences staff have terrific customer service. Brittany Frankel was friendly, helpful and went out of her way to be accommodating. There were no canned emails, and they provided prompt responses, and helpful information. Even a special request was accommodated with a «I don’t see why not, let me see if we can do that» which was very nice. The Residences may be a bit pricey but they have the quality service that goes with it. (Note that this review is for the leasing office and not the apartments).

My wife and I rented from Churchill Corporate Services a lovely, well located, and expensive apartment in a full service building in Washington, DC for 32 days in September/​October 2011. It should have been a marvelous experience but turned out to be awful. As did my dealings with Churchill.
The apartment had a terrible odor. The odor was so bad that for three days we stayed out during the day and had to wear masks in bed in order to sleep at night.
On viewing it after the long weekend the head cleaning person said the carpet was filthy and had it cleaned. We didn’t mind being on wet carpeting for two days as it reduced the odor, but not enough unfortunately. The living room furniture had the same stink. We got Churchill to change that furniture but the odor was in the replacement furniture too.
We were rebuffed in our request for another apartment, so we asked for a third furniture change which finally made the apartment livable.
The first 20 days of our 32 day stay were miserable.
In addition to paying premium rent, we made a major expenditure, of sweat more than money, as we bought and went through 4 cans of Febreze, physically moving all the furniture both times to be sure we reached all the possible sources of the odor.
At the end of our lease we asked the DC Vice President for some financial consideration on our rent to partly compensate us for our suffering. He declined absolutely.
I appealed to Churchill’s CEO who also turned me down flatly. As I persevered with him over a month or so he made, probably just to get rid of me, a token final offer, a $ 250 credit on a future rental. As it was barely more than a day’s rent. I declined it.
Churchill has a responsibility as a national company to satisfy its customers. Instead of doing that it has shown us callous disregard.

At this residence, you’re paying for the 5−6−5, not really for any quality or luxury. Actually, the apartments aren’t luxury at all.
Ultra cheap contractor-​grade kitchen cabinetry and lighting (it’s not extraordinary like they say on their site) and the bathrooms are not spa-​inspired (as they say) they’re economy inspired.
Staff is marginally acceptable, and are probably more competent than the typical in DC-​which really isn’t saying much.
I am truly in love with the perfect 5-​star rating on ApartmentRatings which all five of the 5-​star reviews all have the same writing style!
Meh.