The Residences At Rodney Square

Since no-​one has started with what, to me, is the deciding factor as to whether or not you should choose to rent an apartment or not, I will do so. That factor would be safety. In the 3 — 4 years during which I have rented there, the fire alarms have gone off MULTIPLE times (thankfully, the local firefighters are very efficient), one of which was in answer to an elevator which was stuck between floors. Now that might not be quite so bad if ALL elevators were working, but as is frequently the case, two were out of commission leaving this as the only one moving. The freight elevator is out of order so often or simply locked by someone either moving in or (what is becoming more and more likely) moving out that it is simply not worth walking to the other side of the building on what might well be a wasted trip.
Yet yesterday still new depths were plumbed. I was walking back from the garage (a walk which passes by the fire alarm panel), and I noticed the alarm was going off. Now next to the panel was a sign which stated prominently ‘If alarm sounds: 1) Acknowledge 2) Inform management,” neither of which were going to happen any time soon since the security desk was left unmanned for (and I timed it) at least 15 minutes and management had a sign on its door which said «Back at 3pm.» This was at 1.10 pm. I’m not sure if it was referring to their lunch break or what, but we should all be so lucky.
Oh, and lastly, when the elevators ARE ‘working,’ there is a fair chance that they will drop during their descent, and although it might be just one or two feet (as I am assured), it is as frightening as all get-​out if you are not expecting it, believe me.
Bottom line, if you rent an apartment here, be prepared for two things: 1) major inconveniences and 2) taking your life in your hands.

Update: I called the police and talked to the property manager. There is an investigation happening. The officers assured me that this is not a common occurrence here. The property manager is handling things and I am waiting until my laptop is found or replaced.

Moved in 4 years ago.
Rodney Square, Market & King Streets are THE location for Festivals (more later on this) and Street parades. Take the Jazz Festival. Imagine attending the Jazz Festival, enjoying the sounds of the music and the crowd, sitting amongst other folks enjoying themselves. Sounds great right? Now imagine choosing to not attend, but living at Rodney Square. Because of the proximity to the festivities (rodney square park) and the single pane windows… You attend whether you want to or not. Music at full volume. There is NO hiding from it. Did I mention that the jazz festival lasts for 5 days? It’s 10pm on Friday, they will be going until 12:30 tonight. NON-​STOP.
And the parades? The only exit from the Garage is routinely blocked by parades. You might (MIGHT) get out… But don’t plan on coming back to your own apartment until after 7PM. Groceries? Yeah, ruined.
Other complaints, the glorious tile bathroom floor (some love) are not sealed, and are so rough it is next to impossible to get them clean.
Internet is free — but you share it with the other 300 some apartments so it’s slow and unreliable. You can sign up your own contract with Comcast, and pay. BUT YOU ARE STILL SHARING THE SAME SLOW LINE.
We have 7 windows in this apartment, and only one of them opens semi-​safely. Had a 50 pound window (no kidding on the weight) fall on my thumb the other day.
And the price? When we moved in, we were paying $ 1200 per month (four years ago). Today, month to month, we are paying over $ 1,800 + Parking, yep, that’s $ 2,000 for this place.
So many complaints, why do we stay? We aren’t, we will be leaving as soon as we locate a new job out of this hole. That hole being defined as these apartments in this city. Listen to the complaints, they are all very valid.

UPDATE:
Today a month after we moved and vacated the apartment we get an email from management stating that we need to pay rent for May and garage rent for May. And that we have a «renewal» pending that we need to take care of right away.
ARE THEY REALLY THAT STUPID???
1: Mays rent was paid and taken out of my account on May 2^nd
2: We moved out on April 8^th and paid a prorated amount for our garage parking for the 8 days in April… WHY THE HELL WOULD I THEN BE CHARGED FOR THE PARKING SPOT IN MAY!!?
3: RENEWAL??? We don’t even live there anymore! The apartment is empty, they are trying to get a renewal on an apartment that is supposed to be available for rent!!? WTF!!?
So this update is just to show what ass hats the management staff is in this building. Complete ass hats, big Kentucky Derby ass hats!
Who cares about the floor plan at this point. One star because they are apparently more idiotic than I gave them credit for previously.

Stayed here for a year and there is a lot of room for improvement. Management been very responsive to minor repair issues, however in denial with the bathroom electrical switch issue that flickers on/​off all the time. Also my unit windows are all sealed despite many attempts to request have it opened several inches. The gym is very impressive.
Some of the common issues include neighbors smoking inside their units/​hallway, noise (more prevalent in summer /​wkends) and panhandlers on the street. We were also warned to double lock our doors (i.e. lock after the door is shut) due to possessions being «lost» in apartment units. Despite double locking the door, my unit was also ransacked after I left for work one day. While management initially took it seriously, there was no follow up thereafter.
Also note the number of food options are very limited (almost non existent on Sunday), the transit hub at Rodney Square can be a nuisance for some, and there are no supermarkets within walking distance. Even Walgreens and RiteAid close on Sunday here. Self parking has recently been implemented and it’s additional charge. On street parking is free between 6pm — 8am weekdays and anytime during weekends.
Area went through revitalization, but continues to be quiet. Several crime incidents have occurred, but both Downtown Visions and local police department have placed emphasis in keeping it safe. Safety is not as big of a concern along Market /​King St, PA and DE Ave to the Brandywine River. However, deviating off those main street at night is not recommended.
There are better places to consider.

MOVING IN REVIEW: So far, so good! As someone who researches every last detail about something before making a decision, I can happily so that I am THRILLED with my choice to live at the Residence at Rodney Square.
My boyfriend and I recently moved from Old City, Philadelphia to Wilmington for our jobs (commutes just don’t work for us!). After looking at most of the complexes in the area, R@R was a no brainer for the two of us.
John and Matt at the front/​leasing office have been nothing but accommodating and helpful! They have both made the transfer nothing but easy. Of course, Wilmington is no Center City Philly, but that has nothing to do with the things this building has to offer! The place is safe, clean, and everyone is nice and helpful. The gym is pretty sweet, too. We are very happy with our experience so far!

I leased a studio here for a year and overall I walked away with a pleasant experience. I was initially attracted to the old charm of this refurbished bank and the swanky updated interior. I also appreciated the building’s friendly doormen/​women, the gym in the basement, and the bar connected to the first floor. My apartment featured (laminate) wood floors, wood cabinets, granite (ish) countertops, tiled floors in the bathroom, lots of windows, and in-​room washer & dryer. Whenever something went awry, I could always count on the maintenance team to handle the repair.
Why only 4 stars, you ask? Well, there are a number of things that bothered me. First, the minuscule size of my apartment didn’t justify the high price that I paid for rent. I paid just as much as anyone living in any East Coast metropolitan. But I didn’t live in a real city; I lived in Wilmington. This leads to my second complaint. There isn’t s*** to do in Wilmington. Though the Residences is located «downtown», everything shuts down between 3pm — 5pm. With so many potential customers living at Rodney Square, LOMA, and surrounding areas, you would think that business owners would be apt to stay open until at least 9pm. Wack! My last complaint pertains to the parking garage. Like other reviewers, I too found mysterious dings and scratches all over my car. Once again, I paid way too much for monthly parking for the valets to be messing up my ride!
Overall, I would recommend (and I did) this building to someone who needs to live in Wilmington. It’s not the best, but better than living in the ‘burbs.

Lived here for a year. Apartment is not bad — management is good however this has to be the most boring area — Qdoba/​subway/​Rite AID across the street doesnt even open on weekends.
PARKING HOWEVER — when I first started leasing, I parked across the street — then one day my car gets broken into — scumbag doesn’t even take anything from my car. So I was forced to park downstairs in the Valet (the only viable option now anyways since the other garage is closed). I’ve taken extremely good care of my car since i’ve owned it however ever since I started parking it in the Valet I have found scratches on my hood (intentional scratches), a dent in my rear bumper (they park the cars 3 deep in some places) and a large crease on the side panel from what looks like them backing up into a post (they cover it in styrafoam).
DONT LIVE HERE IF YOU VALUE YOUR CAR.

The problem with rodney square is that it’s not the apartment thats the real issue it’s the parking they backed into a post with my land rover and failed to tell me about it. I found out and they agreed to fix it and that was 12÷6÷11. I scheduled to have it fixed on 12÷23÷11 but due to finding the part it was not done so I’ve decided to wait to fix it when I go back to Texas in the summer, but on 1÷31÷12 the parking valet backed into the pole again this time with the other side and once again they did not tell us. This is not acceptable you cannot trust these people to park your car how can you live here. the apartment is ok but only if you are ready to get your car fixed every 3 months