Axis Apartments & Lofts

If you enjoy waiting, literally, 30 – 45 minutes for an elevator because 3 of the 4 are not working, and haven’t been working properly for the past 6 months, this is your place! Management sucks, unless you want to print something, that’s about all they’re good for. Really, the only thing good about this place is the location and the amenities (good luck getting to amenity floors without waiting 30 minutes for an elevator). Bottom line, find a new place. At these prices, you can absolutely find something more worth the value… Be patient and keep looking unless these attributes sound appealing to you.

I have been living at Axis almost 1 full month and so far I have really enjoyed my stay here.
Location: Axis is located at the eastern edge of Streeterville — adjacent to Lake Shore Drive. This means that there are magnificent views, Navy Pier across the street, and just a 10 minute walk from Michigan Avenue. On our block there is a Starbucks, 7-​Eleven, Walgreens, Treasure Island, and McDonald’s.
Price: Compared to other market rents in the area, Axis fits within the appropriate range — especially for all of the beautiful amenities. Utilities are not included which is the only downside.
Amenities: The massive laundry room, indoor heated swimming pool, foosball table, 1 full business center, 1 wifi/​coffee lounge, 1 club room (on the rooftop), and 1 sky deck for the main residential tower, PLUS 1 business center and 1 party room for the lofts tower. There is also a great guest suite on site which is wonderful to rent when residents have out of town guests for the weekend. The skydeck is incredible. Outside there are grills and you can walk 360 degrees around the building which, again, 60 floors off the ground, makes for some prime views! I cannot wait for summer when there are parties here.
Apartments: Very spacious. I am in a studio and coming form a 100 square feet shoe box in the gold coast, the 483 square feet of my current studio is awesome! I love the appliances (stainless steel) and the modern bathroom. I did not like the color of the walls so I had them all painted white which made the unit look twice as big. VIEWS OF THE CITY ARE SPECTACULAR! I never close my blinds because of this. My only complaint here is that some floors do not have the backsplash and granite countertops. Even so, they are still wonderful spaces.
Maintenance: The service team here are wonderful! For basic maintenance problems, requests are completed within 24 hours! You cannot beat that! We see them all the time so we grow to learn them by name. Very personable and skilled technicians.
Management and Staff: Very down to earth, very personable. They plan parties every other month it seems, and if not, they bring in vendors to sell dinners and other services in our lobby! Great for the winter months when you don’t want to cook or spend extra on delivery.
Pet friendly. Elevators do malfunction at times, but I have never had to wait longer than 10 minutes. Others have claimed wait times are unbearable, but they are truly exaggerating.
great place!

Management lied to get us in the door to view properties.
We came in and were told that not only was the showing appointment that an agent, Migena, scheduled for us nonexistent, but the person to guide us was not even working that day.
Further, via email Migena told us that there was high chance to get the units we wanted if we paid to be on the wait list, but when we came in we were told that chance was nearly zero.
Units themselves seemed good, good floor plans and amenities. Even smaller plans seemed spacious.

I’ve been living here for about 5 months, since I moved construction NEVER STOPPED whether inside the building (renovations) or outside (new buildings around), it starts so early in the morning every single day and to he’ll with light sleepers!
Also, in the 5 months light bulbs in my hallway were changed 3 times, twice in the bathroom, toilet clogged twice, now the sink is clogged! It’s an old building and although maintenance team is superior but there are some cutting corners which might be a policy from the management, I say that because last time the maintenance guy showed up with a big box of bulbs to change the hallway light (they looked used), he tried 3 bulbs which did not work until he found one working bulb! For a building that makes you pay top money for rental alone not even a utility package or any other financial attraction I’d expect a top notch everything!
Another funny but disturbing thing that made me decide I’m leaving the hell out of here, listen to this CAREFULLY:
I’ve been hearing noises from my bedroom closet like a mouse is running around (it’s not in my head I assure u)! Every night same thing when the light goes out and it’s so loud it wakes me up, I take out everything from the closet and nothing is there, then the noises move to the ceiling! Same nasty loud noises that wakes me up, I’m no expert on buildings but I assume there’s a gybsum board under the concrete ceiling, I tried to bang on it with a stick and it sounded like that, and sounds are still going on EVERY FREAKING NIGHT! Since day 1 I came here I also hear something that sounds like opening closets which I assumed it’s my neighbours since walls are thin but it’s going on all day and night so maybe it’s the service elevator or whatever I stopped noticing it anyway, but this ceiling mouse thing is making me go nuts it’s so loud it wakes me up at night! (don’t get me wrong I’ve never seen a mouse here but that’s what it sounds like), one time I even thought I’m imagining things but my friend once spent the night here and she heard same thing! My dog used to bark at the closet now he’s barking at the ceiling! A running mouse over my head and a barking dog next to me, doesn’t get any better! I talked to maintenance people but there’s nothing that can be done they can’t break the celeing to see what’s there *sigh*
Another weird incident is ice on the enterior of my bedroom window, I think it needs sealing or something, never seen it snow in bedrooms in any place other than here!
Good things about this building (gotta be fair and mention the goods)
1. Nice friendly people
2. Clean everywhere even in common areas
3. Pool always warm
4. Fast elevators
5. Nice door and maintenance people

I am a corporate housing provider and have had 6 – 8 units in the building since last March. The team there is always very efficient in getting in my work orders, leasing information, or accommodating my guest’s needs. The views are absolutely unbeatable, and all of the executives I’ve put into the building are always requesting to stay more than the minimum 30+ days.
I will say the lofts are my absolute favorite part of the building, they remind me of warehouse converted condo finishes you would find in River North or South Loop but are right in the heart of Streeterville!

My husband and I moved into one of the Axis lofts this February. Our first encounter during the leasing process was with Krista. She was absolutely amazing and continues to always be available and help out in any way that she can… she always wants the tenants to be happy and it shows. AJ is also another star in the leasing office… both he and Krista have such winning attitudes. Sean is a great new addition to the leasing team and he fit in right away and you can tell that the residents are growing very attached to him as well. Even our dog Mika loves them… she cannot go past the leasing office without trying to go in for a visit!
Steven and Robert at the front desk of the main tower are two of the hardest working men around and even though they are responsible for a lot they are always upbeat and always happy to help. And Steven is quite the dog lover and has treats for the dogs… it is so cute to see the dogs go to his desk and wait politely for a «cookie».
Maintenance is always responsive and if something cannot be taken care of immediately they will let you know the reason and give you an ETA. Miguel is truly a standout. Whenever we see him he makes a point to check with us to see everything if everything is okay in our apartment or if we need anything.
We love our spacious loft and really appreciate its high ceilings. The gym in the main tower is a great amenity and the sky deck on the 60^th floor has been beautifully renovated with super high-​end finishes. Overall our experience has been great and the amazing staff really makes sure that this place feels like home. I have recommended this place to many and will continue to do so.

I figured since I am taking the time to write a review I might as well be as detailed as possible.
I have been a resident of what is now known as Axis (formerly Onterie) for more that 6 years. I have seen the good, the bad, and the in-​between.
First off, Axis was recently taken over by Village Green property management. Overall this has been a good thing. Village Green has been sincere in trying to improve the building with renovations (which have been completed) and have done a good job in making the necessary renovations & improvements.
The most important thing…
The apartments. Most if not all have been newly renovated. I live on a high floor in a corner apartment that faces north & west. I have a great view of the lake, the northern city, and the western city. People who have visited me tend to call my view «spectacular and/​or amazing». As I often say, those who do not have views tend to believe views are overrated and those who do have views tend to underrate them. I find myself sitting on a chair or on my couch enjoying and appreciating my view on a frequent basis. I live in a one bedroom apartment with a large living and dining room area, a great decent sized kitchen with many cabinets, a nice sized bedroom, and what I would consider to be an above adequate bathroom. There is ample closet space in my apartment and for those needing more «storage space» there are storage lockers available. Each apartment has it’s own heating and air conditioning units so you can adjust your own heat and air conditioning and turn it off or on as you please.
In terms of the staff & building…
Don’t be alarmed or put off by the lobby and rental office. They were just renovated and while some people may enjoy the look, some seem to feel there’s not much rhyme or reason to the style. As I told the management and the rental staff, I don’t live in the lobby and my apartment is terrific. The staff at the «Front Desk» is overall outstanding as is the maintenance staff. I feel the current rental staff are attentive and kind. I don’t really deal with anyone nearly as much as Krista and she goes above and beyond in terms of her sincere and helpful demeanor. When she tells me something she follows through and I appreciate her efforts. A+.
In terms of the management, I feel the need to say there have been a few understandable growing pains. I have had a few minor issues but that being said, the staff seems to genuinely care and has eventually done whatever was necessary to rectify any issues I have had. Which are not many.
The amenities are very nice.
The «Business Center» could use some work but that’s the only thing I feel that does.
There is a great former health club that is free to residents that includes a very large work out room, an indoor pool, a steam room and sauna, and even a «winter garden» which is open 365 days a year and is furnished with free wifi and free coffee.
The laundry room is pretty standard. Depending on what time you do your laundry there are usually enough washing machines and driers and you don’t have to wait.
BIG bonus of living here is the 60^th floor «Sky Room & Roof Deck». Both have been recently renovated and Axis/​Village Green did an excellent job in doing as such. The Roof Deck has 365 degree accessibility and includes a panoramic view of the city. There are many comfortable seating options, a fire pit, 4 gas grills with large tables and plenty of chairs. People take advantage of the Roof Deck as they should but I never find it to be too crowded. I will add that it is by far one of the best places in the city to view the Navy Pier fireworks as well as the Chicago Air & Water Show.
The Sky Room is great and can be used as a party room. There is a kitchen, a fireplace, comfortable seating, a Television, and a pool table.
As far as the residents, my neighbors are generally quite and respectful, There are many Northwestern med students living in the building and they tend to be past the noisy college partying days and are well behaved. There is a good mix of young and old (more young) and even some families who reside in the building. I would say it’s generally a friendly atmosphere and I have met some wonderful people who live here.
A few other notes of importance.
1) People may read about the elevator situation. The «situation» being that there have been times where one or two of the four main passenger elevators have been out of service. No doubt this has led to some long wait times during peak hours but my guess is this is somewhat common in many if not most hi-​rise buildings and I feel should in no way be a deal killer in terms of renting in the building. I say that because I’ll spare the details but after speaking with management I want people to know I am confident the issue is being addressed.
2) This is a dog friendly building. There are certain floors that do allow dogs and some that do not.
Overall a great place to live. I would highly recommend Axis to others.

I was so excited to move into this building from the gold coast! I have been in this building for almost a year now and am quite disappointed. First of all, the door staff is always so unfriendly and they look as if they hate being at the building. Coming home from a long day at work would be must more enjoyable with a simple «hello». That will never happen as they are just sitting there texting on their cell phones or unhappy. Next, the ELEVATORS! In the past three months, I have waited for over 30 minutes at times to just leave the building. Coming down from a high floor, I could only use the «elevator excuse» so many times now at work. The management company used to be so nice (Krista especially) but now, she also seems very unhappy with her job and comes off as rude to many. If looks could kill…
I signed a lease with Axis for the amenities; but since all of this construction is happening, I feel as if I am over paying. I am happy the pool and gym are back open (and the renovations look lovely) but, the entire summer I have been stuck waiting for an elevator unable to swim and enjoy the perks of the building. Finally, I have been trying to submit a work request for the past week now and all I get are tags that say they will return tomorrow. Great location for the building, but unhappy management, door staff, and very little to do since there is so much construction. I will not be renewing my lease once I receive a renewal letter.

This is a great place to call home. After looking all over Streeterville for a place that fit our needs we somehow stumbled on this place and couldn’t be happier. We’ve lived on the loft side for nearly a year and enjoy the fitness center, social room, business center and fantastic view from the sun deck. We love the fact that we only have three units on our floor and our neighbors give us a warm sense of community. The maintenance and management staff are all great, especially AJ & Krista in the leasing office.

I have been a resident of the building for 4 years I used to really enjoy and love the building until recently. I feel with the new management or new company taking over the building their has been so many changes and have some very rude new employees. Particularly my experience with Greg in the management office. I have spoke to Greg on 2 occasions and both occasions he was extremely rude and uncooperative. I do miss the old onterie feel and am concerned over the takeover by the new company as I think some not all employees and management team don’t care for the tenants.

Great building, units have tons of space, and our experience with the leasing folks could not have been better! We are very excited about our recent move into the Axis Lofts.