The Hudson — Attraction in St. Louis

I do not leave many reviews, but my experience with the Hudson and Lux Living has warranted one. This has been a nightmare of an experience. While looking for places to live we stumbled across the Chelsea and fell in love with the layout, location, and amenities. Aaron, the man who helped us through the entire booking process, told us that if we waited a few more months the Hudson would be finished and would be “nicer and offer more amenities.” That statement is now extremely comical considering what has gone on inside the walls of the Hudson.

First off, rent is extremely steep ($2000/month). I was okay with paying that due to the “luxury” of the building. However, now it is completely unreasonable and should be considered theft. I was drawn to the Hudson because of its many promised amenities, “top-notch” safety, and the alleged luxury it had to offer, however those promises have not been met.

Being here since mid-September we have had a laundry list of problems with the building, construction, and management. The building itself has the potential to be beautiful, but the building and our apartment is already falling apart due to poor installation and the use of cheap materials. We haven't even lived here for 6 months and our walls are peeling because of the improper installation of drywall, the walls stain easily because of the cheap paint, and many appliances such as the water heater and thermostat constantly warrant a maintenance request (which is never granted).

On top of the problems with the physical aspects of the building there have been many issues with the safety of this building. As a female living in St. Louis, I DO NOT RECOMMEND THE HUDSON IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A SAFE PLACE TO STAY. The Hudson is equipped with a so-called top-notch electronic security system, but you might as well leave the doors unlocked or propped open (oh wait that already happens). With constant requests for safety measures to increase, residents have been turned down and away, often with the phrase “we will look into it more.” The Hudson is located right by the metrolink which brings in heavy traffic itself and due to the expensive looking facade, many unruly people are drawn here. There have been multiple thefts and safety breaches including vehicle break ins, theft of personal property (including in the mailroom which is supposed to be covered by the top-notch security system), suspicious figures waiting for an opportunity to sneak in, and even a resident's car being stolen out of the “secure” parking garage.

Communication is definitely an issue with management, as they do not like to do it. Us residents voice our concerns and nothing has changed. This management and this company takes advantage of others, lies, and makes open-ended promises to keep their wallets happy. If you are new to the city or just looking to move into an apartment, trust me and do not waste your money on the Hudson. Literally buy a house, save your money and live with your parents, pitch a tent, anything would be better than...

I write this review as a Tenet who has been living at The Hudson for 2 months.

BEFORE MOVE IN: As a few residents have previously stated in their personal reviews, The Hudson began it’s relationships between Tenet and Landlord by offering a move-in date during August 2021 and a TENETIVE completion date of December 2021. This is the statement I was told during my first congressional meeting with property manager, Jose Garcia. Thankfully, I was informed by Jose that it would be best if my lease began in December rather than August before signing any lease agreements. At first, this did present a problem because I was moving to St Louis from 700 miles away and had to be settled in by August. However, Jose was willing to personally find a temporary living situation for me whether that be a different apartment building or Airbnb until my unit was complete.

DURING MOVE IN: On my move in day, I experienced no problems with accessing the building, garage, or my unit. When I began scouting my unit and I did notice a couple of aesthetic problems along with a hot water problem. Now it is important to note that the lack of hot water was due to a defect caused by the hot water heater manufacturer. Unfortunately, this did not stop a few Tenets from quickly blaming management because of how easy it was to do so. Once I spoke with property management regarding my issue, the problem was resolved in under 24 hours after a full diagnoses was complete.

AFTER MOVE IN: After living here for 2 months, my overall feeling is bitter sweet. Every maintenance issue for my unit has been resolved and looks perfect thanks to management. Even though the building is not complete, it is personally exciting to see all of the new updates as time goes along. I am definitely anxious to see the final product but more importantly have the construction team leave. It has been obvious that they do not care about this building and they tend to leave a mess everywhere they go. This in particular is one of the biggest reasons why The Hudson does not yet have its “luxury” status.

QUICK REVIEW/CONCLUSION: Ultimately, I have really enjoyed living at The Hudson. My only complaints are a few Tenets and the construction team. Tenets constantly destroy the trash room and leave personal belongings in the hallways rather than the space that they rent. It really takes away the “luxury” theme when you see crusty shoes in common spaces. Currently there is only 1 consistent, on-site manager, Jose, who is constantly putting Tenets first by solving personal and construction induced problems. There has been at least half a dozen “managers” come and go since I have lived here because no one seems to keep up with the fast moving culture. Lastly it is very important to note that management is giving Tenets 2 months of free rent with their first year lease to account for the any inconveniences during the construction phase. Management itself really gets a bad rep for the effort and work they put it to make Tenets...

I have never been one to post reviews of my residences online but my experience with The Hudson and Lux Living has warranted one. In light of recent reviews written by other tenants taken down by the owners despite their promises to increase transparency, future tenants should be made aware of the host of problems that await them when signing a lease with any Living Lux property, and more specifically, The Hudson.

I originally signed for a unit with the Hudson after being promised a completed unit(including the balcony) by mid-September and a completed building by December 2021. When moving in, I noticed that the balcony for which I pay extra, was not completed(see attached photo taken in early December). Although the unit itself was beautiful at first glance, it came with a host of issues such as a lack of hot water, a malfunctioning bathroom door that would not close, filthy floors, and a balcony door that would not shut properly. Every aspect of the unit and the building itself appears to be haphazardly completed in an attempt to meet the unrealistic timelines projected by management--promises that have still been left unfulfilled. As of February 2022, my unit's balcony and the majority of the building's promised amenities have yet to be completed.

The apartment complex itself has been a nightmare to live within. With its steep pricetag of over $2000, tenants have been dealing with construction starting before 8am ranging until the late night hours(cleaning services were hired to run during "low foot traffic hours"), stolen packages due to an open package room and malfunctioning package door system, multiple car break-ins in our "secure garage", construction workers entering units without expressed permission, and water turned off with little to no notice on multiple instances to name a few. Complaints and notifications of unsafe parameters to management were disregarded and dismissed, with a mass email to tenants stating that "your security is primarily your responsibility and local law enforcement agencies exist to help". These statements, when construction workers routinely prop doors, random cleaning and maintenance staff are given access to individual units and enter without permission for nonessential work orders, and when smart keys to essential access points(like the elevator and stairs) are not yet installed are problematic as they show that management have zero concern for tenant safety.

The building's website, which boasts its many amenities, are no where close to completion, as the gym is the only completed amenity(Completed December 2021) available for residents to use. If you are looking for a safe, secure, and luxurious living experience at the Hudson or any of the Lux Living properties nearby, I'd consider doing more research into the company itself, the owner, Vic Alston, and his reputation defrauding investors, and reaching out to current tenants of the property(if the reviews...