Tenant Reviews for 601 W 57TH ST

The worst place to live. Management is terrible and the construction noise is 24/7. The last straw was when they tried to evict us for walking our dogs through the lobby. Instead we had to walk our dogs out the trash entrance. You would think $3,800 a month would buy more than the trash entrance. ---- this place.

Nice building with a nice roofdeck. Doormen and courteous and and nice. Management is attrocious. What was once a pet friendly building has become decidedly not so. New policy requires pet owners to enter and exit the building only via the service entrance which leadshould directly onto the buildings garbage disposal site. Multiple days per week you walk out directly onto 100s of garbage bags and waste. See my photos for more detail on this situation. Will be getting out as soon as my lease ends.

Best leasing experience ever!!!! Thank you for making my move cross country so easy.

I've lived in The Helena for several years. It has an awesome view of the river and New Jersey. Because it's pretty far from the subway, it's assuring to know that there aren't too many strangers wandering in the area. The lobby decor is pleasant and I must compliment the overnight doorman, George. From the beginning of his employ, I've found him to be very courteous and always with a smile on his face. He always greet the tenants pleasantly, is very knowledgeable about local resources and always willing to provide assistance without resistance and/or attitude. Because he able to communicate very well, I can also have an intelligent, informative conversation with him, as opposed to the other building staff members I've encountered. Although he works the overnight shift alone, I always feel safe knowing that he's present and in an emergency, will be able to handle any situation calmly and effectively.

I have lived in the Helena building for 1 year and I am very happy and highly recomend the building. Also the gym and roofdeck are awesome. The leasing team is very helpful and Judith's professionalism and assistance helped us so much during the process

This is the worst apartment ever. There is a building being constructed right next door and it is so extremely loud. I literally have dreams of the construction and get the most rude awakening every day. This building wont be finished until june 2014, I advise everyone not to move here and look else where. But if you enjoy the noise of John DEERE, of plowing and earth shattering noise then this is your place. Otherwise would not recommend it!!!!

Do not rent apartment 3S. You will be directly over the sound system of the restaurant below. The restaurant turns into a club on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, when you can clearly hear the music and the crowd noises. We were not told about the sound system before we moved in. Also, be aware that the owner plans to construct a new building right next to the Helena and you will be living next to a construction site for years. Finally, believe all the complaints on this site about the noisy air-conditioners. There is a loud clanking every time they turn on and off.

I've lived in The Helena (studio) for two years and have some likes and dislikes. Pros: The maintenance staff is very quick to address any issues, the gym is spacious and nice, the studio is a fairly reasonable size, the doormen are very friendly and helpful with packages and food delivery, very good closet space (two nice closets) for a studio, and the bathroom is a decent size -- good water pressure, nice mirrors. Cons: There are two washers and two dryers per floor and they were both in use quite a few times when I wanted to do my laundry, the building is pushed off to the side of the city and it's windy as heck when you step outside -- you'll have to do some considerable walking, if someone is cooking sometimes the entire hallway can have a slight smell, lack of internet/cable providers in area (I was paying $120 per month just for high speed internet and cable) Time Warner only option. Overall, I was happy with my experience here and would be staying if I wasn't moving back to the midwest. I paid $1800 per month for a studio and would give this place a 8/10 rating. Good clean building with friendly staff and residents but the location (in terms of just having to walk a lot) is not the best.

The Helena has outrageous views from the roof or from any of the southfacing apts. Just spectacular. I really miss seeing the cruise ships come in on Saturday. The building staff were always, without exception, extraordinarily friendly and helpful. The frontdesk, especially Jose, was great. The parking garage the most convenient in NYC. A few minor complaints. The hall ways are noisy and cooking smells can really stink up the joint. Too many dogs and little kids. The neighborhood leaves much to be desired, but JMAC's can be a real hoot, if you come in dressed up on Saturday night. The Hudson Eatery is a big help, but the service there has much room for improvement. The extension of Riverside park South is 2 blocks away and the riverfront wonderful. The Helena was a wonderful place to live.

Pros: No fee rental Gorgeous river view from rooftop terrace and some units Medium-sized fitness facility (always appeared to be clean) with a few weekly classes (yoga, pilates) Laundry on every floor. I heard some larger units have their own washer/dryer. Laundry machines utilize card-system so you load money onto the cards downstairs. Allows dogs. There may be a weight restriction. I've seen larger dogs (around 60 pounds) but they may have gotten in early-on before the weight restriction was tightened up 1/2 block from the Westside highway path for biking, rollerblading, running, etc (be sure to use the 58th street underpath) Easy access to the Westside highway if you have a car Easy accces to the Lincoln tunnel via 11th ave Building has a garage managed by MTP M57 and M31 bus stops are at the intersection Shuttle bus to Columbus circle weekdays - a few hours during the mornings & evenings Building staff usually pleasant and professional Walking distance to UWS (Fairway 15-20 minutes)) and Hell's Kitchen (Stiles Market - 10 minutes) Low VOC flooring is nice (no urethane or chemical smells from the floor) Cons: Took 3 months to get my security deposit back after I moved out Difficulty with letter of credit getting released, still working on this but bank resolved most of the problems Management company staff not always on the ball (see above) Cold/blustery 3 long block walk to/from Columbus Circle subway during the winter Due to green building design, hallways are designed to have positive pressure and force air INTO the apartments for ventilation. When my neighbor smoked, I'd often get smoke in my apartment as well. After the building mgmt added foam stripping to my door, I'd still leave my window open to help keep most of the smoke out. Inconsistent on-site drycleaning company (sometimes didn't press my drycleaning) Some walls can be thin - could hear neighbor's heated arguments and parties in my unit on a few occasions My experience with the garage was that it was full when I inquired about a spot and they were wsupposed to call me when a spot opened up, but they never did (meanwhile a new tenant got a spot a month after that). Remote area - not a lot within 1-2 block radius except for tv operations and car dealerships.