All 25 tenant reviews.

“If you can imagine living in hell, you can imagine living here. No air conditioning, amenities always closed, no management, or at least management that responds to you, they lose all the packages and the ones they don't, they refuse to give you for like days, bugs everywhere, the list goes on. Don't torture yourself and find elsewhere.”

“The building is very old and management doesn't care to maintain the building. Group Fox raised the gas bill by four times the amount with no memo to their residents. They don't have any hand sanitizer during COVID. The maintenance staff are the best, super friendly and fast to get your issues fixed. The front desk staff manager Pam is the rudest individual, she's unfriendly and non helpful. They don't make any guests sign in, very unsafe. The bike room is disgusting and full of dirt and spider webs. Do not move here.”

“For the price it's awesome. Located right near school. Cool design. Unlike anything I've seen in Chicago. Kinda European.. in a good way. But the staff sucks. Not nice. The smell of garbage is horrible and they obviously rent to mostly young people... parties all the time. But the building is very cool. Had to move due to my displeasure with management.”

“Great people. Awful building. On the positive side, the front desk staff are very friendly and helpful (especially Pam and Deidre). They got to know me by name and sometimes would already have my packages ready if I had something delivered. The leasing staff was friendly/professional/helpful when I had questions. I had a few minor maintenance issues (dirty tub & toilet on move in and broken oven/broiler a few months in) that were dealt with quickly with out issue. I lucked out & had cool / quiet neighbors on my floor. The amenities are nice and well-kept - I made frequent use of the gym, pool, lounge and art studio. On to the not-so-good. The building was built in 1978 and its age shows despite recent renovations. The main reason I don't recommend living here is you will either ROAST or FREEZE in your apartment. The heat / air-conditioning is terrible. The building is a "two pipe" system which means there can be either heat or AC but not both. City code requires buildings to provide heat from Sept 15 - June 1. This means only heat is available during that time. AC is only available from June 1 through Sept 15. During the warm days of May and late Sept, it's an oven - especially on higher floors on the west side. Even when the building is switched to AC, it has a hard time keeping up on days hotter than low 80's. Again you'll roast. Good luck sleeping! You can't set a temperature in your room either. You basically manually control a noisy blower to blow hot or cold air depending on whether the building is running heat or AC. There's no thermostat to click the heat on / off to keep a steady temp. The sliding glass door/windows only open a few inches and there's no way to get airflow through your unit unless you open you hallway door which I did out of desperation many times. The doors/windows/screens don't open well, require a ton of force and are awful. The glass isn't insulated well. It's NOISY - not from neighbors but from the constant sirens on State street (if you face west) or CTA (if you face east). The windows do not keep out the noise. I was on the 22nd floor and sirens were constant and as loud as if I were on the ground floor. The washing machines smell moldy and the dryers are always breaking down. Laundry can be a real test of patience. I never experienced issues with the elevators. In summary - it's a terrible old building with inherent flaws that can't be cheaply solved. I highly doubt GroupFox is going to sink the millions required for modern glass on the exterior and upgrading the ancient two pipe heat/AC system to modern HVAC.”

“It is the middle of May, my apartment faces West and they refuse to turn on our AC. DO NOT SIGN A LEASE HERE. They con you with their well put together and cleaned lobby and amenities. DO NOT sign a lease here”

“I currently live here. If you have an respect for yourself DO NOT MOVE HERE. Don't let the beautiful lobby and amenities fool you. Tonight the elevators were all shut down and I had to walk up 25 flights of stairs with a 70 pound dog who has arthritis. Leaving me having to try and carry her. Also one of my friends who just had surgery last week had to make the climb too. She almost passed out and had to sit halfway through. And elevators are down for repairs every week. This is only a start. The apartment constantly smells like weed and cigarettes. The washers and dryers are always broke leaving 300+ tenants with only a few washers and dryers that work. During the polar vortex the heat wasn't working and during the heat index last summer the A/C was down. The A/C never works. It is absolutely miserable in these apartments when it's hot. I came home from work to my dog dry heaving laying on the floor. Ooh and COCKROACHES!! Be ready to have little friends keep you company. The management does nothing and has not remorse. They never do anything for tenants when these things go wrong. Iv read many bad reviews about places and disregarded them because every place can't please everyone. But please consider all these things before you sign a lease. Believe me when I say I'm not the only who feels this way. Many tenants are talking about a class action lawsuit against 777 South State because of these living conditions.”

“THERE IS A REASON WHY IT IS CHEAP! All the money was invested in the lobby, "club house" and the nice photos on the website. This place was built in the 80s as a student housing unit and still operates like one. Issues so far: -A/C DOES NOT WORK. PERIOD. You can control intensity but no temperature, management turns on and off when they want to. -Some windows open some don't, and when they open is just enough to put a hand out. Can you imagine living in a place were the windows dont open? -There are 15 laundry machines and 15 dryers. At any given time one or 2 are broken, there are 200_ apartments. Do the math. -Pool is filthy. Common area is filthy. -Elevators are still the original ones from 1980's super slow. Sometimes you wait 5 min for one. -There is no cleaning crew or emergency maintenance crew on call on weekends. -Security is a joke, the rule of only 2 guests is not enforced at all. Not uncommon to see unruly 10 guests at pool and common area. -One security guard was fired for sexual harassment. -50% of occupants are college students still, this detail was not disclose prior to move in. -Water, gas, sewage and trash are prorated between units based on your square footage. Runs easily betwene $90 - $120 a month. -$50 for internet and cable, no option for another provider. Internet is slow at best and cable choice is a joke. COAX cable. Don't fall for the pretty pictures. This place is a dump. I cannot wait for my lease to be over to move the hell out of there.”

“I was here when it was Grand Campus housing for students of the surrounding schools, this is my second year here, I moved in Fall 2016. Im a grad student and I like my quiet time especially at night when I study. Honestly, It was more quiet when it was student housing, it has now been transformed to residential and it is louder than ever here. My neighbors are the worst, I call security to have them quiet down and I literally hear them disrespect and disregard security. They play music loud whenever they feel like it and nothing is done. Ive written to leasing management, who claims to have had a meeting with them but doesn't seem like it helped. I have heard racial slurs come through my vents because my neighbors get angry due to security coming to their door. I have even had my neighbors walk in my house because my door was not locked and cracked open a little. They claimed they were trying to see if I was ok. Later they denied it. Ive done everything in my power except personally confront them which is dangerous. I do not suggest moving in here, please shop around, this place has a long way to go. I am not satisfied at all and I will be leaving this year when my lease is up. It is not worth it living here, I rather have to catch the train downtown. The security front desk people are the nicest but they don't have enough power, so unruly people do not respect them. I forgot to mention the smell of marijuana occasionally, If you are not a smoker you won't like it and it will smell up your apartment, it comes through the vents. Again, security tries but people do not listen, they have no authority over tenants. Hopefully this place shapes up in the future, I am awaiting my move-out date anxiously. The management of the building is not going well, the elevators are constantly dirty and sometimes smell like urine, bc pets are allowed, I have some kind of dust on the rug outside my door due to construction but it was never vacuumed and cleaned up. Honestly, for the money I am paying I am so ready to break my lease because it hellish living here. Come take a tour and you will see for yourself pay close attention when you do. Do not let them rush you out of here and you really get a feel for it the later you come because mornings are nice and you won't hear anything.”

“Do not live here! Even though this apartment building has been renovated it is still the same hell as before. Window doors are broken and cannot be opened, there are holes in them that let air through. AC does not work in ALL apartments! Apartments will be given to you in a dirty condition and no prior cleaning will be done. The worst choice in whole Chicago.”

“The dragging attitude of the leasing agents combined with their inefficient respond time makes me rate this building 0/10. In addition, the complex is not even ready.”

“If you enjoy your sleep, don't move here. The noise insulation is terrible, and someone is always doing construction inside the building (even on weekends) so sleeping in is impossible. Unless you're deaf, this place is not for you.”

“For a well placed and well populated housing option, this apartment could have been absolutely stunning but the beauty is only skin deep. Washers and dryers have black mold that has not been cleaned since before my August move-in. I've complained to the laundry company and sent in countless management requests. Nothing has been done. Complete renovation to the front entryway was planned... years ago -- nothing has changed. Don't plan on getting to class, train or work on time with these three elevators for 28 floors. Waiting 10 minutes for an elevator is more than common; however, they break down even more often. Room TVs are 32" commercial grade Dynex LCD's. The DirectTV input to each room use to offer Channel Guides and a DVR. Now, they just split the signal for ALL 28 floors. Look forward to distortion, HD channels that are not in HD, and a blurry image during severe storms. The internet is 'okay.' Do not depend on it to submit a timely documents online. Welcome to outages and extremely capped download speeds. (I'm talking 5Mbps download speeds.) Air filters in apartments are not cleaned regularly. Mine has black dust clogging the fan from operating and often smelling like smoke. Hallway carpets are not part of the housekeeping. Again, nothing has been been cleaned since August. Maintenance consists of a few individuals. Don't expect your request to be fixed until next week. Columbia houses students throughout the building, but after the 21st floor you are actually treated like an adult. The gym mats and equipment look like they haven't been updated since 1995. I am unfortunately stuck here in contract until 2015. I cannot wait to leave. Look elsewhere for an apartment.”

“This place is absolutely awful. My air conditioning in the living room hasn't been fixed in 2 months despite the multiple work requests I put in. My Internet stops working 2 to 3 times a week and the provider doesn't call back when promised or even at all and never really resolves the issue. Ive gone a full week without internet despite all my efforts to contact the company and management. Apartments are okay but their are strange dips in the flooring causing it to be uneven. Dishwasher sucks. No garbage disposal as promised. No lights in the bedrooms or living room. Many of the floor to ceiling blinds are broken or missing. Upon moving in I requested a lock to be put on my bedroom and that took about 3 weeks to get put on. The management staff is usually unfriendly and speak to you as if you're a child or stupid. They always act as if your problems don't matter and that they have better things to do. And it also seems that every time I ask a question I get a different answer from each person I speak to. The staff never changed the name on the mailbox so I've been unable to receive mail for the past two months despite my efforts to adhere my name to the box. There are only 3 elevators and this building has 28 floors and it sometimes takes 10 or more minutes to even get on an elevator, I am dreading for school to start because of this. The fire department is here about 2 times a week with around 5 or 6 fire trucks for one stuck elevator or the smell of burnt popcorn and nobody ever really let's the residents know what happened. And you better hope you're not trying to get to your room during one of these exciting incidents because it could take anywhere from 5 to 45 minutes to get back upstairs. The security staff for the most part is extremely friendly, but only occasionally helpful. Overall, I am extremely unsatisfied with this housing especially for the price that I am paying. These past two months I have had more issues here then I have had for a full year at my previous residence that was a building similar to this. Bottom line, I do not recommend... to anyone.”

“The stuffs are so rude. I never want to deal with those people again.”

“It is a bad place to life. The managements are not helpful. When I moved to this apt, they told me your roommate will be a student like you. But unfortunately he is a professor in the university. He sleeps early I asked them to changed my room to other, because I have a problem with my roommate. They told me university. He sleeps early and I cannot invite my friends. I told them I want to change my roommate, they said for me there is not room available, and I saw new people moved to this building. You cannot choose your roommates it is random. They accept a student for this building, and I don t know how accepted my roommate. there is noisy behind my room it is a track for train , its work until 2 am and start 5 am .”

“I WOULDN'T WISH THIS PLACE UPON MY WORST ENEMY. DO NOT LIVE HERE. So get this ----; my room mate pays $1275 in rent we live here for the same amount of time in the same apartment and I am paying $1400. Why? Because I singed my lease when it was technically still 2 E 8th and she signed when it was 777 S State and so the shady dicks that work both places decided to play the technically correct but very morally wrong legal card. They don't do ----, currently in the dead of one of the coldest winters in Chicago the HEAT IS OUT. THERE IS NO HEAT. There is immense water damage in our bathroom, to the point where more than likely asbestos is growing in the ceiling, there are constant bug infestations ranging from spiders to some insect I am unfamiliar with. Why? Because the windows aren't even SEALED. A pest control guy came and explained to us that the whole building is not properly insulated and that's why EVERYONE KEEPS having this problem. I wouldn't wish this place upon anyone, it's awful and the staff is tragically incompetent. DON'T. LIVE. HERE.”

“2 East (777 south state)is no where near as bad as these reviews make it out to be. I have lived in the building for over a year and have had hardly any issues. For people complaining it's too much money: do realize you are paying to live in the south loop of Chicago. As far as apartments in the south loop go, 2 East is not any more overpriced than any other apartment building. If you want cheaper rent, move away from the city. Yes, the elevators are slow when you have 800 students living in a building that are all trying to get to class at the same time. Here's a tip: try using the stairs once in a while. It has great health benefits! And don't worry, eventually walking up 28 stories will turn into a piece of pie. The guest policy is seriously not that big of an issue. It's not that hard to hand your ID to a security guard as you walk in and grab it as you leave. The security desk is right by the door. It is not out of ones way to stop for 2 minutes to check someone in. So, yes you have to walk your guest out when they leave. I'd rather have security overly cautious of the visitors in the building then just allow any random person to enter the premise. No matter where you live, things break, it happens. For example, my cable box went out randomly one day, so I called someone to fix it. And they came by the next day and (ready for this?!?!) they fixed it. Things can't get fixed if you don't tell someone. And if a work order doesn't go through, all you have to do is go to the office and tell someone and they'll send maintenance up. As for the staff and security, yeah they can be cranky sometimes. They are at work. Work by definition is not always fun as games. Instead of attacking them, try going out of your way to actually get to know them. It's not so hard to walk by the security desk on the way out and say "hello" to who ever is working. All in all, the experience at 2 East is what you make of it. All apartments have their downfalls, but there is no use getting hung up on all the little things.”

“I agree with the post below, i have no idea how anyone can actually recommend living here. The managers are completely rude and once you sign a contract with them they act like you're just a piece of ----. Also, the worst thing about this place is the apartment guest policy. I have LEASE with the building, not my school. I have to sign in and sign out guests. Literally go down the elevator that takes 20 mins to come, just to show me face to security so they can leave. UNBELIEVABLE. They don't accomdate AT ALL if you have a lease and you will most likely end up hating your life living here. TRUST ME, this place is a no-go. I pay around $1300 for an "updated" apartment that didn't have functional internet during the school year. I had to go to school building to access something as small as a youtube video. The heating and AC aren't that bad, I've heard bad stories is another units though. This place is supposedly ran by new people, but it's clearly lacking any change since these people aren't any different than the previous 2East people. Oh and I had a friend over and was thoroughly embarrased when one of the jack-off security guards told me he was going to write me up. I'm 23 years old and I don't know what he can do by "writing me up" but usually when an employee of a building you are paying premium prices for talks to you like that your --- gets fired. But 777 South State or 2 East whatever you want to call it doesn't give a rats behind about anybody that lives in the building. ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS M-O-N-E-Y. I was a transfer student so I wanted to live on campus to meet people. BAD IDEA. I solely wish I had chose somewhere else and met friends a different way. Columbia also puts all the people who want quiet hallways and no drinking in this building so you won't really meet anyone worth while regardless. LIVE SOMEWHERE ELSE. SO GLAD MY LEASE IS UP IN LESS THAN A MONTH! WOOT”

“I am writing this review because I am OFFENDED at how blatantly fake the reviews from June 1st and June 6th are. I lived at 2 East for this past academic year through Columbia College. Now of course the building has been renamed "777 South State," but of course no one actually calls it that. The address and entrance are in fact still located at 2 East 8th Street. Before I continue, I would like to list all of the positive aspects of living at 2 East 8th. First, the price is significantly cheaper than than any other dorm that CCC offers. Second, I think the Columbia community is great, as are the RAs and staff who work at Columbia College. 2East has Columbia students grouped together on the same floor, as compared to my dorm last year at the UC which has people from all different schools all grouped together. The living room and kitchen is a plus compared to the dorm style layout at the UC. I also did not have any issues with internet or cable service. I also think there are some reasonable trade-offs to be found when your dorm is significantly cheaper than the other options available. Now I want to write why the previous reviews are completely fraudulent. First, the June 1st review notes that "I lived at 777 S. State St. for the pass four (4) years." There are three things wrong about this statement. First, it is not possible for one to have lived at 2East for 4 years. For a very long time, it was a Columbia Dorm. Then the contract expired (The Chronicle has an article on this) and they rented out a different, not-dumpy building (The Dwight). The building then turned into off-campus, and then Columbia rented about half the building starting two years ago. Second, no one calls the building "777 S. State," especially if you've lived there for four years! Third, only ACCOUNTANTS (read not Columbia Students!) say "(4) Four." Clearly this is some old fart writing this review in order to boost the ratings on this website. The second fake review, written on the 6th, sounds like marketing copy straight from the website! This also references the "improved" management. Improved Management? FALSE. A new company (Chicago Apartment Finders) purchased the building and fired the somewhat sassy, yet highly professional office people and replaced them with brainless nincompoops. Almost immediately there were problems that didn't exist before. Packages magically get lost. Work orders fail to get sent to the maintenance guys. My questions unanswered. Now for the building cons. They SERIOUSLY need to find someone to fix the elevators. They are slow and scary, and people get stuck in them frequently. The Air Conditioning really does suck, and they do turn it off in August. The pool is not cleaned frequently and is quite cold. (Seriously, spare some coal for the furnace, master?) The "amazing" laundry room has like 10 washers. The building has like 800 people; 10 washers is not enough. The gym is also undersized for a building with 800 people. Honestly, the biggest problems I think are the ones that should be easy to fix. The laundry room needs double decker washers or something. The gym needs more treadmills and elliptical trainers. The staff need their brains back. Oh, and the security guards need to get an attitude check. They suck. The bottom line is that you get why you pay for; this building is dumpy and barely functional but is the cheapest student building and Columbia dorm in the area. But it shows. I chose to live here because cost and proximity to class were my primary motivations. Also note that the managers (who obviously wrote the previous two reviews) are complete idiots.”

“I've lived here for over a year now while Attending Roosevelt University. It's extremely convenient for students with leases per bed so you don't have to worry about your roommates paying rent. There is on site laundry, a gym, and a pool! All utilities are included even internet and cable. I've seen a lot of bad reviews on here, but the building has been under new management since April and things are definitely looking up! Looking forward to many more months here at 777 South State!”

“I lived at 777 S. State St. for the pass four (4) years. I have only great things to say about this building, the management, the great security teams and how well maintained the building was kept. Dollar for dollar 777 offers a lot for your buck. It has an indoor pool, W/D on location, great gym, community room, a computer lab, security cameras, cable and Internet service, great views, a very friendly atmosphere , centrally located to trains and buses and very nice neighbors. The management team has always taken care of any of my concerns / issues quickly and efficiently. I do not understand why 777 has gotten such poor reviews by others. If things were so bad, why would I have lived here for four years. Think carefully, come and see for yourself how wonderful this building is!”

“As far as I know, these are the cheapest apartments, not just student housing, available in the South Loop. So if cost is the only issue, then lease away, because otherwise, this building is miserable. I leased for nine months, September thru May, the entire school year. I had a room facing West, meaning I would get the afternoon sun, and it's still humid in those first few weeks. While the building advertises A/C, my room's was very broken, or nonexistent. In my first experience with the management, I filed a request to fix it. I didn't get someone to see to it until four weeks later, only after persistent asking of the assistants downstairs. More of the building's flaws were exposed as I lived throughout the year. There were strange stains on the carpet. The heat on the stovetops was radically uneven; not warm enough until suddenly too hot. The furniture, already shoddy and cheap, began coming apart. The fabric on the couches was torn with almost no wear, and one of my desk drawer refused to close. Maintenance never got around to fixing those either. Of the building's many flaws, its greatest is its elevators. More times than not, at least one elevator wasn't working. I even remember one night when none of them were operating. And when they do run, they are astoundingly slow. It took me one minute to get to the 23rd floor, and only without any stoppages. This slow speed clogs the elevator que, and it would sometimes take me 15 minutes just to get to my room from the ground floor. The internet is remarkably slow, and I had connectivity issues everywhere in the building, from my own room to the common room, which is usually empty. The walls are strangely thin, and I would've hated the constant noise from the garage band directly below me if they weren't good. The worst experience with this building however, is the management and the people running. The main receptionist (or building manager, I'm not sure her title) is rude and at times hostile to any requests I had. There is usually nowhere to turn; their student workers are under-informed and the higher management is apathetic at best. Guest sign in is a struggle. The security guards are slow and hostile. There are plenty of other student housing options in the loop. I highly recommend the others, to avoid the mistake I made”

“Do NOT live here if you have other options. I decided to live here because it was close to my school, and it has turned out to be a nightmare. I am paying close to 1500 a month to live in an apartment where I share a bedroom with one person and a bathroom with 3 other people. Things break all the time. The kitchen is awful. The furniture is old and terrible. Not to mention that I have lived there for about 2 and a half months and the cable and internet have only been working maybe a month and a half out of that. Here is the huge reason why I would highly advise you to not live here. The people that work here are awful. First my window in my bedroom was broken and they were supposed to fix it... which meant play with it for a while and say its fixed when it's not. I still have a very cold draft threw my room. My internet and cable literally go out once a week and they do not care to fix this problem. Like I said before I have been without cable and internet for at least a month if you add it up. I would hope with the money I am paying to live here they would offer a refund, but no i am currently fighting for it. They don't want to give me some of the money I am paying for this service back. The receptionist was extremely rude a few times down in the office. I find that crazy, especially when I am dealing with their lack of ability to fix things. And my biggest problem with the place. ---, the community director. Why this woman is working in a customer service type of position is beyond me. She is rude, she lies, and she really doesn't care about your problems. I have also been in touch with the vice president of the building who was supposed to call me back and never did. This place is extremely unprofessional. Trust me on this one, don't live here. It's just a headache.”