Eugenie Terrace on the Park — Local services in Chicago

The Building: The high rise building is stunning. The staff prioritize keeping the grass and landscaping outside pristine. There is a convenient designated area for residents to take their dogs outside. Inside, there are maintenance staff working diligently to maintain the building’s cleanliness. I am so appreciative of their efforts!

Staff: I have had only pleasant experiences with the staff at Eugenie. My positive experience began before I even lived at Eugenie Terrace, as Maria and Heather were a pleasure to work with while touring and signing my lease. The front desk staff are also very kind and respectful. It makes a big difference when the staff make a point to greet you in passing, or when you enter/ leave the building. I feel very safe at Eugenie because of the staff’s attentiveness. I want to give special shoutouts to Fran and Darius, they are amazing staff members, and we are so lucky to have them at Eugenie Terrace! I also feel at ease knowing that my packages and deliveries are safely handled by the staff. It is also common to see maintenance staff around the building who are also so kind!

Amenities: My favorite part about living at Eugenie are the amenities! The laundry room is located on the second floor, there are a good number of washers and dryers. The gym is well equipped, I ended up cancelling my gym membership because I felt that I have everything I need at the gym in Eugenie. There are several spots on the top floor to read, catch up with a friend, work from home, etc. There is also a coffee station located upstairs, which is one of my favorite ways to start my mornings! The top floor is beautiful with views of the city in nearly every direction. I was fortunate enough to rent out the top floor to have my engagement party and we received so many compliments on how beautiful the space was! Lastly, THE ROOFTOP!!! The pool is large, well maintained, and kept at a refreshing temperature. The chairs located on the rooftop are comfortable. Another plus is that the grilling station on the rooftop is spacious and clean. I love that we are able to see the fireworks at Navy Pier from the rooftop, easily one of the best parts of summertime!

Location: The location of Eugenie is more than ideal. There is a bus stop right outside the building, and the brown line is a short walk. There are well known bars and restaurants in all directions, and being just a short walk to Wells street is a huge plus. Eugenie is also centrally located to several well known spots in the city, such as North Avenue beach, the Lincoln Park zoo, the Chicago History Museum, etc. The Green City Farmers Market is also right across the street! In my opinion, Eugenie Terrace is one of the best located high rises in the city!

Community: Both the staff and residents at Eugenie are a great community. The staff makes a point to put together events that are fun to attend and meet other residents in the building. The app is also a great way to keep in touch with the Eugenie community.

I have had an exceptional experience living at Eugenie Terrace. I am so grateful to live in such a wonderful building in the city! Thank you...

I’ve lived in Eugenie Terrace since 2017 and things have really gone downhill since Lincoln Property Company took over as management. Please AVOID renting an apartment here and save your money and sanity by checking out some of the new, luxury rental apartments in the area (Old Town Park, Lincoln Common, the Sinclair, etc).

Just a few of the recent changes: Small, 3x3 storage space used to be included in rent; now, management is charging $25/month ($300/year!!) for a small, mold-covered space in the basement. (The City had to come in and force management to remedy the black mold in the basement after residents complained due to management’s lack of action, yet there are still mold issues.) The community space on the top floor used to allow 10 guests for free and $500 charge to rent out the whole space; now, management is only allowing 3 guests for free and is charging $1,000 for 4 hours for all residents with over 3 guests. The a/c situation here has always sucked, as management controls whether it is a/c or heat. But at least the prior management company used to keep track of weather reports and shift back and forth between a/c and heat based on the weekly forecast. Now, new management claims “they’ve never done that” and refused to turn on the a/c even when outside temperatures were over 80 degrees (causing indoor temps to be between 85-99 degrees even with multiple fans running). I finally had to buy large portable a/c units after I had art pieces ruined due to the excessive heat and wanting to keep me and my dog safe. Management fired the head doorman (here for over 20 years) and instead has a rotating door of random people who either spend their whole shift on FaceTime or who completely leave the front desk unmanned. At least a few times a week, the front desk is left empty for 45+ minutes or longer at a time. When residents questioned management about it, they said they “don’t offer security” and the front desk is just there as a “concierge service.” This was surprising since when I signed my lease, I was told the building offered 24/7 security. I already pay over $3,000 a month for a one-bedroom apartment with popcorn ceilings, vinyl floors, and cheap finishes and appliances. While the old management company would offer minimal rent increases and 12-14 month leases, the new management company is heavily increasing rents AND raised the monthly utility fee. They are also shifting lease terms so that all leases end in the summer (making it more expensive to renew). The laundry room machines continue to increase in price ($2.25 for washers and $2.00+ for the dryers) and routinely ruin clothes.

So, unless you want to be nickel-and-dimed for a cheaply renovated apartment, previously free amenities, and no security (per management’s own words), I would recommend you avoid Eugenie Terrace (and any building managed by Lincoln Property Company). Do these photos really scream $3k-$5k month...

Eugenie Terrace has a lot going for it and could be a great place to live if not for the building management, which has degraded significantly in recent years and has made this a terrible place to live. The current management has adopted an unnecessarily antagonistic attitude toward its residents. This was highlighted most recently during a Spring heatwave where temperatures for units in the building climbed above 79 degrees and remained there for days, even at night, making sleep impossible for adults and unsafe for infants and pets who were at risk or overheating. Despite outcry from tenants, including a survey completed by more than a hundred current residents who requested that the AC be turned on, management left the AC off and instead sent out condescending messages that they were worried they would receive a minimal fine per city ordinance if they turned on the AC and temperatures in the units dropped below 66 degrees at night--a highly unlikely scenario. The current management also has a practice of sending out building-wide emails threatening all tenants in response to complaints about individual tenants. For instance, they have repeatedly threatened to close the workout room if they receive complaints about people dropping weights, in a manner reminiscent of an elementary teacher threatening to keep the whole class in for recess if one student does not stop misbehaving. Additionally, several of the newer doormen have taken the position that they will not open the automatic door for tenants (even tenants who they know by name, who have lived in the building for years, and who have always contributed significantly to the staff holiday fund) and instead insist that all tenants use a fob to get to the elevators from the lobby. While such transgressions are minor, they are frequent enough to create an very unwelcoming environment in the building, which is the exact opposite of what you want in a home. Finally, management will never lower your rent, even if there are identical units in the building that are renting for significantly less, as is the case in the recent pandemic where the rental rates have generally dropped. Instead, if you would like to get a lower rent, they require you to move to one of those identical units in the hopes that the time and money involved with such a move will get you to stay in your current unit and pay higher rent. If you are considering renting from Eugenie, I strongly encourage you to consider one of the many other buildings in Chicago that have a better track record of treating their...