Olin
Olin is pretty much your typical dorm, but the main thing it offers is convenience. First off, Olin is connected by indoor hallways to all of your classrooms, study areas, and the hospital, shortening your commute down to minutes. Nothing beats rolling into class in shorts, flip flops, and a t-shirt on a cold, snowy day. Olin also features a 24-hour well-equipped gym, giving you no excuse not to work out. The Olin penthouse is very socially convenient and has everything from ping-pong to foosball and pool. Olin is also the center of many first-year social gatherings, including post-exam parties, holiday parties, and pizza parties. Since Olin is a dorm, you won’t have to deal with pesky things like monthly bills or buying that much additional furniture. Also, as an added bonus, all singles have a spacious built-in desk and sink. Living in Olin isn’t perfect though. The facilities and furnishings are older and the bathrooms and kitchens are communal. However, it has been said that convenience is hard to give up and people who stay for more than one year in Olin tend to stay in Olin for all of their years at Wash U. My favorite part of Olin has to be the staff. The security guards are available 24 hours a day, and the housekeeping staff, who clean your room once a week, are incredibly helpful. Information about living in Olin will be sent out in late spring so keep an eye out for it.
— James K., M1
Aventura
4431 Chouteau Ave.
314-499-1307
www.avforestpark.com
Rent: One-bedroom (719 sq. ft.) ~$1150; two-bedroom (995-1103 sq. ft.) ~$1350 – $1450
Amenities: Pets allowed with one-time $150 fee. Full-size washer/dryer included within unit. Central air and heating. Fitness center. Pool. Courtyard with a fountain and gas grills. Gated community. Uncovered parking included. Covered parking available (extra $100/month). Water, electricity and cable/internet/ phone not included.
Aventura is a great place to live. It’s a brand-new apartment complex, so there’s a good chance you’ll be the first to live in your apartment — a great plus! It has a light and airy feel with high ceilings, plenty of natural light, and covered breezeways instead of indoor hallways connecting the apartments. The tenants are friendly and respectful, and keep to themselves for the most part, although the management puts on great community events. Many medical students and residents from both Wash U and Saint Louis University live here, so if you’re looking to make new friends, you’ll find a lot in common with your neighbors. Aventura is a short half-mile walk to the medical school via the Taylor Avenue bridge that crosses over the highway. There’s a new bakery right down the block and plenty of bars and restaurants just three blocks south in The Grove (one of St. Louis’s up and coming neighborhoods). The Aventura is very conveniently located between highways I-64/40 and I-44, which makes getting around St. Louis with a car especially easy. Forest Park is practically on your doorstep, too. It’s just a great place to live.
— Shari B., M1
Buckingham
4934 Buckingham Ct.
314-803-2024
ashleyapt@parkstationapt.com
Rent: Two-bedroom (1000 sq. ft.) $800 – $900; three-bedroom (1300 sq. ft.) $1300 – $1600
Amenities: Pets allowed with additional deposit. Street parking with free permit. Parking behind the building for $50/month. Water and garbage included. This place is cheap, huge, and about as close to campus as you can get, aside from Olin. It’s a 10-minute walk to school and less than a two-minute walk to the sky bridges that get you to class warm and dry in the winter. Forest Park is right across the street and Rasoi (see the food section) is a 30-second walk from your front door, so you could easily work off the take-out biryani from last night with a jog in the park.
Buckingham consists of a few three-story buildings on a quiet street. My apartment is enormous and has hardwood floors, gas stoves, central air and heating, and a sunroom (aka the nap room). Floor plans do vary and some apartments have been renovated with an extra bathroom in place of the sunroom, for example. There is street parking in front and a lot in back with space for several cars, though the entrance is quite narrow. Some wider cars might not fit through! Cons: There’s one washer/dryer in the basement. Since the building only has six units, though, I rarely find myself waiting for the washer to be free. Other cons are slow/unresponsive management, and it’s an old building so the insulation isn’t the best. However, given the price, size, and convenience, the Buckingham is definitely a great place to live.
— Jessie G., M1
Del Coronado
4949 West Pine Blvd.
314-367-4949
Rent: One-bedroom ~$850; two-bedroom ~$1,275
Amenities: Pets allowed. Parking for an extra $60 – $70 per month. Gas and water included in rent. Exercise room and lounge.
Del Co (as the apartment building is affectionately called) is by far the best place to live. Apart from Olin, it tends to be the most popular place that first years choose to live — which I think is its greatest perk! You’ll never have to make the 10-minute walk to class alone, you’ll see your friends in the relatively recently-renovated gym and lounge, and if you need a vacuum or some milk, one of your classmates can probably help you ou. The best part is that you will probably only need to go down a flight of stairs to get it. Del Co. is close to the many restaurants and bars in the Central West End and is on top of a sushi restaurant, which is nice on those really cold days when you don’t want to walk more than 15 feet outside. It is only a block away from Forest Park, which is extremely convenient for going for a walk or run and means that half of the apartments have great park views. The doormen (present 24 hours) and office staff are very friendly and helpful. I couldn’t recommend living here more, so check it out.
— Ashley O., M1
Metro Lofts
4535 Forest Park Ave.
314-367-2400
leasing@metrolofts-stl.com
Rent: One-bedroom (695 – 820 sq. ft.) $1210 – $1510; two-bedroom (1115 – 1340 sq. ft.) $1630 – $2180
Amenities: Underground garage parking ($75/month). Free WiFi. Water and garbage included. You pay for electricity (which includes heating and cooling). Pets allowed with fees. Exercise room. All units contain washer and dryer. Two-bedroom units have a balcony.
Note: Has an income requirement (You can co-sign a lease with a parent or just prove that you can pay.)
Metrolofts is a great new apartment building located right across the street from campus. This means that it is a 10-minute walk from the lecture hall and a one-minute walk from a building with a skybridge (so you barely have to walk outside when it’s snowing). The only downside of being so close is that you can hear ambulances and helicopters going to/from the hospital. The units come with polished concrete floors and carpeted bedrooms. Many of the residents are young professionals, hospital staff, medical residents, but there are some students. There is free coffee in the resident lounge, which also has flat-screen TVs with cable, and there are free cookies in the leasing office. Although Metrolofts is definitely expensive, the facilities are great, you get the full complement of appliances, and there is free WiFi. In addition to the plethora of restaurants nearby, a St. Louis Bread Co. (a.k.a. Panera) is conveniently located on the first floor of one of the buildings. The major pros are its proximity to campus and its newness/amenities. The major con is price.
— Abby S., M1
Montclair
18 S. Kingshighway Blvd.
314-361-0540
www.montclairapts.net
Rent: Studio $684; one-bedroom $822; two-bedroom
$1130 (all prices listed include 5 percent student discount)
Amenities: Gym. Laundry. Rooftop sundeck. Surface ($35/month) or garage parking ($90/month) available. Pet friendly. Heating/AC, water, and trash included.
I love living in Montclair. My roommate and I have lots of space in our two-bedroom, two-bath apartment. The living room is huge, with views of Forest Park, and both bedrooms are large enough to fit a queen bed comfortably. The walls are thick, so my roommate and I never have to worry about waking each other up if one of us is being too loud. Plus, we’re basically as close to school as you can be without living in Olin. We’re about a 10-minute walk from school and less than half-a-block from a skyway entrance. This is particularly nice for walking home alone at night. We’re also a block away from Euclid, which is where the Central West End bars and restaurants are located. Many medical students live in our building and several other popular buildings are very close by, so it’s really easy to visit friends. Maintenance is quick to respond to requests. The rooftop deck is great for looking at sunsets, hosting apartment parties, or just hanging out with friends. The only real downsides are noise from traffic off of Kingshighway, and the fact that the kitchens are on the small side. However, the pros of great location, awesome views, reasonable cost, and large room size are totally worth it!
— Amanda R., M1
Parc Frontenac
40 N. Kingshighway Blvd.
314-367-5567
www.parcfrontenac.com
Rent: Price depends on floor. Studio $930 – $1295; one bedroom $1045 – $1425; two-bedroom $1655 – $2050
Amenities: Pets allowed. Parking is an extra $40 – $75 per month. Water and garbage are included, but you pay for electric, gas, cable/phone /internet. 24/7 security guard. Large laundry room in the basement. Workout facilities. Business center. Rooftop with grills. Building managers often host parties and breakfasts.
Parc Frontenac is a pretty awesome apartment building! It’s full of young professional-aged people, including a lot of residents and a few medical students too. It is conveniently located in the Central West End, right across the street from the popularly inhabited Del Coronado. It has a great rooftop patio with a beautiful view of Forest Park and the Arch. There are also lounge chairs and a grill — perfect for summertime barbeques and fall pregames! Parc Frontenac also has a business room with free coffee all day long, which is perfect for late night study sessions when you don’t want to trek to school. Although it is a little bit more expensive than some other buildings in the area, the facilities are really nice and the apartments have all been recently renovated. Also, the maintenance staff is very reliable. There is convenient parking right at the building for both residents and their guests — a true luxury when it comes to living in the CWE where parking is always scarce!
— Ally S., M1
The Parkway
4961 Laclede Ave.
314-361-2955
www.apartmentstlouis.com
Rent: Studio (575 sq. ft.) $675; one-bedroom (700 sq. ft.) $775 – $825
Amenities: Cats only with $150 one-time fee. Parking $30/month. Rent includes all utilities except cable/phone/internet.
The Parkway is one of the lesser-known buildings in the Central West End. However, just because very few of us live here doesn’t mean you should overlook this potentially hidden gem. Situated on Laclede, the Parkway was built in the 1920s as a hotel. You’ll be just 10 minutes walking-distance from campus and can spend about 30 seconds outside on cold or rainy days before making it into one of the hospital buildings that connects to school. The Parkway offers apartments with plenty of space for just about the best value in the area, especially since most utilities are included in the rent. Even the studios have lots of space and a “dressing room” that can work as a small bedroom. Additionally, there is plenty of closet space and a fairly large kitchen complete with a dining area. The building is older and hasn’t been renovated much, so you may run into a few more maintenance issues, but nothing too onerous. The apartment managers have their offices in the building, so they’re always there to take care of any issues you have. You’ll also be one of the last people who can say they live in a place with old-school elevators where you have to manually open and close the door, and that still have the metal grating instead of the inside door. It’s just like living in a sitcom apartment building!
— Seth H., M1
The Residences at Forest Park
4910 West Pine Blvd.
www.forestparkstlouis.com
Rent: Studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units available.
Contact for pricing.
Amenities: Pets allowed. Gated parking. Fitness center. Basement storage. In-unit washer/dryer.
The Residences at Forest Park is a beautifully-renovated historic hotel in the Central West End. The first-floor lobby and common spaces maintain the feel of a classy old hotel (complete with a fireplace in the lounge, a billiards room, free coffee, and two gated courtyards with grills). The building is well secured, and the staff is both friendly and attentive. The Residences is on the same block as several other popular apartment buildings, so many of your classmates will live nearby. You can walk to school in 10 minutes or less, and there are also many great restaurants and bars within walking distance. The apartments are very clean and well-cared for, and the dishwasher and free laundry in the unit are great perks. Since it’s a great building in a great location, many residents and other medical professionals live here, which makes it a quiet environment. I have been incredibly happy with my decision to live here and plan to stay in the coming years.
— Lindsey S., M1
West End Terrace
4466 Greenwich Court
314-533-8444
millsapartments.net/apartments/west-end-terrace
Rent: Studio $774; one-bedroom $874; two-bedroom $1097 – $1304
Amenities: Pets allowed. Free parking. Gated community. 24-hr fitness and business center. Pool.
West End Terrace is a gated, pet-friendly, quiet, and convenient place to live. Unlike the high-rise apartment complexes all over the Central West End, this little community is filled with two- and three-story buildings. It’s located about a mile from campus — a perfect distance for biking or walking. If you decide to bring a car, no worries — there’s free parking too. For added security, the entry and exit gates are locked between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m. The management staff is extremely helpful and friendly, and maintenance requests are usually processed on the same day. Finally, one of biggest draws for me as a pet owner is that all kinds of pets are welcome at West End Terrace. It is just the perfect place to live, so check it out!
— Jo T., M1