Hawthorne Apartments 4475 West Pine Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63108

"TL,DR: The building is back to its functional, livable and comfortable glory. I’d resume recommending my building to people looking to move close to WashU med. It was about time to update the review of my beloved apartment building. A new management, RCI Realty, took over on Feb 1, 2023. They called advance elevator repair on Feb 1st to get started on the elevator issue. Back orders for elevator parts were still a hold back, but RCI provided freight elevator services throughout the repair period. Doorman services were restored. There is now someone at the door ALL the time. Both elevators have been replaced with new parts, interiors and machinery have been upgraded. There were kinks initially after the elevator replacement was complete, but they were promptly taken care of by the new management. Several upgrades happened in the lobby too, starting with a massive cleaning (LOVED THAT), polishing of the marble floors, fixing the plaster adornments on the ceiling, replacement of ALL the mats inside and outside the building. Now there are mats even in the elevators. Cleaning crew comes in regularly and everything is cleaned and wiped. Garage repairs also started with the new management and they provided us with an alternative garage space tie-up. It is slightly far and the residents that chose to skip that option and parked on the street had their cars broken into (EVERY single car on West Pine from Euclid to Newstead has been broken into it seems) so that was very painful to see, esp when it happened to my neighbors who I’d grown to like through our shared struggles during the broken-elevator phase. Nearly 90% of the residents who were here in 2022 when the elevators started to break down have left. I believe that was the driving force for the owners to open their eyes and pockets and do sth about the situation. It was actually getting pretty empty for some time in the building but several new tenants have moved in. At some point in this period, a roach infestation began (or was uncovered by the rest of the deep cleaning??) and several rounds of pest control have happened. I have not seen a cockroach or a nymph in my apartment for 2-3 months now. Warmer months may tell a different story. But RCI has amazingly turned over the tide for this building, kudos to them!! As for the good features: beautiful views from this high rise building, open and bright apartments, prompt maintenance and amazing staff on-site."

"They say they're " modernizing the elevators" whenever they' go down, but they're not. The elevators have been going down multiple times for the 2 years I've lived here, they just get them running for a few weeks then they go down again. They used to have a doorman staffed 24/7 and they could take you up the fright elevator at least, but last year they got rid of their doorman for a key fob system, that guess what? brakes all the time and does't work. Avoid this place like the plague, run. Update, after a year there's still no working elevator, and the garage is currently closed for rehab, and they make so much noise if you live below the 8th floor it'll wake you up at 7am. again do not rent here, run form this place, it's the closest thing to hell on earth. Also no working laundry room for the last six weeks, so you'll be taking your clothes up and down 12 flights and then to and from the laundromat."

"I moved into the Hawthorne last year thinking that I would live there for a long time. When I moved in, as advertised online, there was a 24 hour doorman and communication was transparent and fast. Just in the last six months, all of the tenants' quality of life has gone down dramatically. Now, as someone who has a full-time job, I am lucky to see someone sitting at the front desk once a week. With a lack of security, we have had our garage broken into and a few of my packages have been stolen while I was at work. Compounded with this issue is the consistently broken elevators. One has been completely shut down since May, and having one remaining elevator in a 16-floor building is inefficient at best. The "working" elevator breaks down frequently, sometimes multiple days at a time. With no staff on call or in the building, those of us who work during the day are stuck climbing the stairs to get in and out of our apartments. Although I have deeply disliked this situation, I can only imagine how hard it has been for my elderly, disabled, and child neighbors. For the rent that they ask for this building (and they increased my rent at renewal!), I felt like I had no choice but to leave as living here is just about impossible."

"Unfortunately the elevators have been consistently out of service. One of the elevators has been completely out of service for several months, and the other consistently breaks down and is out of service for several days at a time. Maintenance crew and manager are as helpful as possible and always available whenever possible, but Mills Properties does not seem to give the proper attention to this matter and residents have to often walk upstairs carrying their groceries and suitcases if traveling or having visitors."

"I have lived at the Hawthorne Apartments for over 2 years and the last 6-10 months have been almost unbearable. I used to absolutely love this building and the management company but ever since it took them over 2 months to put in an automated buzzer door (where there was no functional front door the entire time) and got rid of the doormen the management and building has gone seriously downhill. Earlier in the summer both of our service elevators were out for almost 2 weeks. One service elevator has been broken for MONTHS, and the other consistently breaks - including this week when it has broken twice, once over the entire labor day weekend - with little to no communication from management or owners why things are breaking or when they will be fixed. I wish this apartment building was as nice and nicely managed as it used to be, but now they charge way to much for a building in disrepair. I feel bad for the people that are handicapped or elderly in the building that can only leave their apartments on weekdays between 9-6 when the freight elevator is being run and those that live on the 17th floor."