The Shoreham

My only complaint is that the buidling staff is very paranoid of pipes freezing and to compensate will overheat the building and control the air pressure so that even when you open windows no breeze comes in. I had a south facing apartment and during the day it got very warm — inside temperature would reach 80+ even without the heat on in my apartment. When I opened the window to cool it off, I would get a threatening call each morning that I was not allowed to open my windows during the winter (I find it somewhat creepy too that they know when my window was open).
It can also get very uncomfortable in the spring when they haven’t turned their air condition on yet. The same air pressure doesn’t allow a breeze to enter from outside. You sometimes feel like you are suffocating.

The Shoreham served as the home for my wife and I for three years (2012 – 2015). Being we have an addition to our family, we made the decision to move to the suburbs, but the experience at this building will never be forgotten. Overall, the experience was A+ and I wish I could stay. If you love the city, but come from a suburban upbringing, the Shoreham offers a great experience. The rent in the loop is high everywhere; you are paying for the location and also need to recognize how many expenses are included (gas, some cable costs, maintenance, garbage, etc.) $ 2000-​$ 2500 for a one bedroom in the location actually made a lot of sense for us because of the amenities and low maintenance cost.
The best part of The Shoreham is the location; minutes from public transportation, right on the Chicago River and steps from Maggie Daley and Millennium Parks. If you work in the Loop/​West Loop/​River North or anywhere near it serves as a great place to live. Additionally, the management, door and maintenance members are wonderful. The front office is staffed with reasonable people who will work with you on whatever you may need, good and bad. The door staff will get to know you, names, kids, schedules; they are professionals and very friendly. Last but not least the maintenance staff is professional and respects your personal property whenever they need to come into the unit.
Some pitfalls to understand for ANY building, which Shoreham loops into; elevators will need maintenance and sometimes you have to wait a couple minutes. Have some patience, and you’ll be fine. Parking for guests can be expensive, but you can also purchase passes for 3, 12 and 24 hours.
The community is great, the vast majority residents are working professionals or business school students who are polite and the park (with grocery store Mariano’s) makes the vibe the best.
Definitely give it a look; if you do, it will be hard to say no.

While I’d like to give the shoreham 4 stars alone just for their maintenance and door staff I have to however take other things into consideration as well in my rating!
First off I lived here for 4 years in a studio, and when I moved in I got one of those deals where if you sign within 24 hours you get a discount off rent type thing which is what I did. The apartments were nice, with good views, average appliances, ample cabinet space and great walk in closets. However I was more than concerned each year when they consistently raised my rent by not just a bit but $ 200 or more every time renewal came around which is nuts. I have never lived anywhere where you start at about $ 1325 and end in your 4^th year at them quoting your rent renewal at like $ 1980+$ 280 for parking. CRAZY! Anyways the office staff was always changing so I cant really comment on them but for the most part were cordial just not always friendly. Julie the manager was a doll though and always got any issues solved for me promptly. Fred one of the doorman was the highlight of my morning everyday, he was the kindest, friendliest, smiling face that greeted me everyday and we became great friends! He and Sherrod one of the maintenance staff truly have hearts of gold and would go out of their way to help you and cheer you up with a smile or joke or just talking to you if they caught you frowning one day. Plus Sherrod always got my maintenance requests in quickly! These guys make this place go round, seriously. When you have people that genuinely care about the residents you have a formula for success. Shoreham you should never never let go of Fred and Sherrod they are absolutely the best! With that being said on to a couple of pluses and minuses about this place.
+ Pluses
Rooftop pool with spectacular pool
hot tub, steam room, sauna!!!
great holiday parties and events
great lounge area
fantastic gym
beautiful views
nicely sized balconies
excellent door staff
free coffee in the lounge
nice carpeting (beware its white though)
great location with tons of amenities nearby
café rom in the bottom level which is AWESOME!
doorstaff
prompt maintenance
— Minuses
–only a certain amount of guests of residents to be allowed in pool but sometimes there would be 10 or more guests some very young being rowdy and yelling obscenities in the pool and drinking and basically making it impossible for anyone else to be in the pool with them acting like drunk idiots and throwing footballs around.
— people taking over the lounge for parties instead of renting the party room and getting snappy if you, a resident, decided to come sit down there when they are entertaining.
–not taking action against residents who were chain smokers and it would literally seep into my apartment making my residence smell as if I was a chain smoker
–neighbors that have frequent parties every weekend and their friends linger in the hallways
–when you call to complain about constant noise they send up a guy to tell them to be quiet but alas 15 mins later it starts again (some of us have to work and have class in the morning!)
–drunk residents urinating in hallway (granted this only happened once on new years eve in front of my door but still I dont think they said anything to the owner of the apartment next to me after I complained)
All in all some things are just random occurrences within an apartment building you run into and Im sure some were isolated incidents or may not ALWAYS happen when you live there. But I would say this place is a great place to live if you can afford it. God knows I would have stayed here for ten years if they werent quoting crazy price increase renewals for studios when the studio I have now at a nearby building to the shoreham is only $ 1530 a month for all the same space and amenities and theirs are going for upwards of $ 1800 now.
Super nice building, if you can swing the hefty price tag and rent jump that comes along with it!
Had a great 4 years here and wish any future renters the best!

I am almost 3 months in at The Shoreham, and so far so good. For what I pay, I’m very happy with my new home. I have a nice lil’ one bedroom with an amazing north view of the Chicago river. I’ve listed out the pros and cons (so far) of my new place:
Pros:
* Fabulous location, and the park is beautiful– if you work in the Loop you can pretty much walk to work.
* The doormen have all been helpful and kind.
* The Shore Club (16^th floor amenities) are pretty awesome.
* Mariano’s 5 minutes away. If you don’t know why that’s exciting, you’ve been living under a rock. :-)
*The views are absolutely incredible.
* Management has been wonderful, and very prompt with responding to requests.
* The building does try to make it a ‘community’, which I like, and has had a few events since I’ve moved in (a breakfast on the go thing with Rom Coffee bar, an off-​site reception for residents at a bar, a resident social in the sky lounge)
*IN-​UNIT WASHER DRYER– HEYYYYYYYY (yes, I’m at the age where that gets me a bit too excited ;-))
*As a single woman who frequently has to work late hours, I feel very safe coming and going from here.
*I like how even in the summer, the Lakeshore East neighborhood is secluded– most of the people who hang out here are residents, not tourists, and the park is very well maintained.
*Nice mix of single people, grad students, and families.
Cons (but not things that would drive me to move as of yet):
*The ventilation system isn’t the greatest. There is a smoker on my floor, and when he/​she decides to chain smoke, it stinks up the floor something terrible. It doesn’t happen often, so I am thinking it’s not so much a resident, but a visitor.
*The kitchen has very basic features (ie: no garbage disposal).
* Dish Network, the buildings cable provider, isn’t the best.
* While I cannot personally comment on the rent increases as of yet, I admit I have been warned by a few current tenants I’ve met, and of course, fellow Unilocalers, that I may be in for a shock when my lease is up for renewal. To be fair, I fully expect some kind of rent increase, but I’ve been warned I could be looking at a double digit percentage increase… Stay tuned.
*It’s been mentioned before, but parking for visitors is crazy $$$$$$, and street parking in the area is non-​existent.
Couple things I should clarify if you’re looking into renting here– hopefully it helps someone out:
* Cable itself is mentioned ‘free’- though know you will have to pay a fee to rent the box, or in my case, HD box w/​DVR. This costs me about $ 24 a month. This includes HBO/​Showtime. But it’s Dish, so when you get a storm, be prepared, it will probably go out.
*While the prices to rent are a bit higher than what you’d pay a lot of places– when I was looking, I took into account the fact I no longer would need an El pass ($ 100 a month = $ 1200 a year), my heat and air were included, and I had a washer dryer in unit. When I actually compared everything side by side, the Shoreham was a better value (for me).
I’m giving this 5 stars… for now. I’ve enjoyed my stay so far, and would love to stay as long as possible. I realize I’m still in my ‘honeymoon period’, so I will for sure update if anything changes. I REALLY hope my rent increase isn’t as bad as some people say, because while I don’t want to move after a year, but if the increase is overly-​excessive, I’ll have no choice but to leave. I will definitely post when I get my first renewal offer– and let you know if it is as scary as I’ve been told it could be. ;-)
***UPDATE ⁵⁄₁ — rent was going to be a too bit high for me if I had chosen to renew, so I was going to move out– however, The Shoreham worked with me to transfer to a different apartment, so I’m moving from a 1 bed, to a convertible. I’m totally fine with it, and appreciative The Shoreham is letting me transfer. They have been very helpful and I truly appreciate it. Yes, it’s a smaller apartment on a lower floor, and I’ll miss the spectacular higher floor view; but for my lifestyle at the moment, it works for me. I LOVE the Lakeshore East area, so I’d like to stay at least another year. For those reasons, even though I have to transfer apartments, I still give The Shoreham a 5 star rating.
My word of advice to any potential renters– especially if you get a deal when you sign– note that if you get a deal of, for example, «one month free», any rent increases you get in the future will be based on your market rent, NOT the deal. So if you’re paying $ 1600 (after getting a deal), and the market rent is $ 1900, your increase will be based on the $ 1900. Just something to be aware of, especially if you want to stay in the same apartment for more than one year.

Great place to live! I lived 2 years at the shoreham, and has been great! Rent is not cheap, so is the parking, but definitely worth it.

My husband and I have lived at the Shoreham for over three years now, and we honestly cannot bring ourselves to leave. The apartments are well maintained, the views are downright incredible and the amenities are fantastic (outdoor pool, large and clean workout room, grills, free coffee, etc.). We have found that the door staff bends over backwards to be friendly and helpful, and we have always found the office staff to be pleasant. They make it feel like a home.
As others have mentioned, there are definitely some negatives, hence the four star review. The parking is quite expensive and rent increases do tend to be severe, especially since they have started to not give rent specials to existing tenants when they renew (though it sounds like they are still giving them to new tenants), but we have come to expect it and hope this is something to which the management is giving some thought. That said, we have found the rent to be on par with similar rentals in area, and there are cheaper parking options within a two minute walk. It is also a bit of a walk to the trains from the building (10 min. or so), but there are plenty of restaurants within walking distance (some right across the park) and having the Marianos grocery store across the park is AMAZING. It is also nice that cabs are generally not in short supply since you are so close to the Loop.
As for the neighborhood, it is definitely on the quieter side and is full of dogs, young professionals and families, which works great for us. We are in our late 20s, and have quite a few friends in the building around our age. What I love most about the area is that you feel like you have just stepped in to an urban oasis, which is a welcome relief after a long day at work in the Loop, but when you want the hustle and bustle, you just walk up the grand staircase and have everything at your fingertips. I love that I generally do not have to feel as on edge when I am out walking my dog at night as I may in other neighborhoods that my friends live in. To top it off, it is so conveniently located if you work in the city, it is ridiculous. It is also very near Lower Wacker, so it is pretty fast to get out of the city as well.

Overall it’s been an easy place to live. But this past spring, there were two months where one elevator was broken. There is no separate freight elevator. So when someone is moving, there are two elevators for 300 residents and its beyond annoying. Also, it feels like the maintenance guys take over the elevators, moving from floor to floor making it more difficult to get one. I don’t know why they go to the fifth floor so often! This elevator stuff was pretty poorly communicated to residents.
At around the same time, a tenant below us had a leak so management came in to check our pipes. They then said it was our coffee maker leaking that caused it. FAT CHANCE. Pass the buck, I don’t think so. I called them on it and they passed the buck to the maintenance guy. I don’t like being shamelessly lied to. I kept saying that my coffee maker could not be the reason for the leak in the downstairs neighbors ceiling and it was one shifty response after another. They knew it was ridiculous and they lied very badly.
After a year, our rent was raised considerably. Tried to negotiate a better timeline for moving out but the whole transaction was very one sided.
Also, across the river you can park at a number of buildings for $ 99/​month as opposed to $ 245.
It’s impossible to get a cab and über denies requests constantly. So does Hailo. Lyft seems too weird to bother with.
That said, as annoying as all this stuff is, the door staff is awesome.

Great place to live. Apartments are clean and have a dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer. The gym is huge and has everything you need. The sauna, steam room, and whirlpools are a great. The pool is awesome and gets plenty of sun all day. Management is extremely friendly and if there’s ever an issue with your unit or the building they fix it immediately. The doormen are all friendly and they greet you on the way in and on the way out. Love living here and am very happy with my choice. Every cta line is within walking distance and millenium park is across the street. Highly recommended building!

After 3+ years living in the Shoreham, I’m finally being forced out. Rent has increased 44% since I moved in 3 years ago, and if I was to renew, they would charge me $ 1953/​mo for less than a 600 square foot apartment. Management is completely unwilling to bend, and what’s most upsetting is that new tenants will get one month free, where as renewals do not. So basically, they’d rather flip over my apartment, replace carpets, etc. and have a new tenant pay less, than have a long-​time resident stay.
In addition, while I love the area and a lot of things about my apartment, this year has come with many hassles, including the internet being out for weeks at a time, frequent building power outages, leaks, inconvenient building repairs (one that left my inside windows caked in dirt). Also, last summer the pool was completely taken over by immature residents and their throngs of guests, getting so bad that one day a complete fist fight broke out. And yet, the staff gave me a hard time when I had a few people up to a completely empty rooftop for a BBQ.
The Shoreham started out great in 2010, and has slowly declined since. It would be manageable if the prices were reasonable, but a $ 600 increase in less than 3 years?! Insane.
If you’re considering the Shoreham, better make sure you don’t plan to stay for more than a year, unless you’re prepared for your rent to skyrocket.

My fiancé and I have lived at the Shoreham for 5 months now and have been very happy with our unit, the amenities, staff and location. We were initially hesitant about leaving the charm of the Lincoln Park/​Lakeview area but the positives of Lakeshore East far outweigh LP/​Lakeview. Lakeshore East is a quiet and safe neighborhood, you forget that you’re in downtown Chicago.
Positives
–LOCATION– walking distance of downtown/​lake/​Millenium Park, cheap cab to Old Town/​West Loop, short drive to the highway
–MARIANO’s– gold standard of grocery stores
–Secure building
–Responsive and accommodating staff
–Workout room allowed us to give up our gym memberships
–Spacious corner unit that is much larger than the one bedroom apartments we were looking at in Old Town/​Gold Coast
–Plenty of storage
–In-​unit washer and dryer
–Pool
Negatives
–If you’re single this might be too quiet of a neighborhood for you.
–I wish the kitchen had nicer upgrades

I was a resident in the Shoreham for a year and will be relocating so I did not renew my lease. But as a young professional that have rented in 3 buildings in Chicago in the last 9 years I have to say that The Shoreham gave me the BEST experience.
The property management staff went above and beyond to provide top flight customer service form my move in to my moving out of the unit. The door staff began to feel like family after a while as every one greeted me by name.
I do feel the need to call by name Julie, Shannon, and Lisa in the Management office and James at the front desk for always accommodating me as I am a frequent business traveler and often made special requests.
With everything going on in Chicago The Shoreham was without doubt a safe building in a very safe area for a single woman.
I could go on and on about the building accommodations but I did want to celebrate the staff for making the building experience memorable. The cost can seem a but pricey but for what you received as a Shoreham resident it is totally worth it.
HIGHLY recommended.

Let’s say the place looks beautiful, if you’re staying in Chicago for 1 week — 1 month, it’s great… any longer and look elsewhere. Lived here 4 months and 40^th floor view is beautiful, but problems are as follows:
1. Over $ 2,000 per month for a 1-​bedroom and I’d expect: a garbage disposal, a digital thermostat, carpets without staples at every seam that hurt your feet, would be nice if either verizon or sprint got cell service anywhere besides directly beside the window.
2. One person in the main office is nice, the rest are condescending to bordering on downright rude. Issues do not get taken care of in a timely manner, sometimes it seems as if issues do not leave secretary’s desk to even be directed to the correct person. Maintenance staff and doormen are all extremely friendly though!
3. $ 245 per month for parking in their garage which is NOT SECURE, has NO SECURITY CAMERAS. Vandalism to car and 1 bike stolen and NO SECURITY CAMERAS IN THE GARAGE!!!
The following issues are not the fault of the Shoreham and may just be personal preference, but recognize that living in the neighborhoods (lincoln park, wicker park, etc, etc) is better if you’re actually planning on LIVING here for any time longer than one month because:
1. After 8 pm, there is no nightlife on the weeknights; on the weeknights all you’ll find are clubs suited for college kids to 25 year olds max…
2. Everything is overpriced and has a very generic corporate feel around here, no authenticity… neighborhoods are historic and charming just a little bit north of here, and you can still be close to the highway and actually save time even if commuting south due to avoiding the traffic mentioned below in #3.
3. Millenium park is great, except that with all the festivals and street closures, driving is frequently a nightmare and to go 7 blocks on michigan or lakeshore will take you close to an hour and you will want to tear your eyes out (if you ride a bike, this is not an issue).
4. Closest el stops are over half mile away, same with almost every bus stop… gets annoying if you don’t want to drive everywhere.
The previous list may contain things you didn’t think about, but really start to be aggravating after a few months.

We have lived in the Shoreham for two years, and generally loved it. Our apartment has a beautiful view, and the amenities (particularly the gym) are great. Some of the finishes in the apartment were not great for the price — the countertops, cabinets, and floor tile are cheap looking, and the carpet is that perpetually gummy looking beige — but I figure that those issues are compensated for by the amenities, the great location, and the lovely park outside. The staff is consistently kind and responsive.
My main complaint is regarding the rent increases. The first year it wasn’t so bad, but the second year the hike was significant; within two years the rent was over 20% higher than when we started. The management office was not willing to negotiate to something that we could handle, and we were frustrated that what we felt had been a very positive tenant/​management relationship didn’t seem to count at all when weighed against new tenants. This is especially true because we expected that they might be happy to keep quiet, happy tenants rather than offer what will most likely be significant discounts to new renters. After looking around we found a new apartment a few blocks away that is much, much less expensive — the building amenities are not as nice as those at the Shoreham, but the apartment finishes are a real improvement.
In short, this building has a lot of wonderful things about it, and I really enjoyed living here, but be mindful when you sign the lease that the rent may go way up.

I have been at the Shoreham for 1.5 years and couldn’t be happier. I completely disagree with the earlier comment about front door staff being in a sour mood — they are awesome! I have never walked through the door without a hello or goodbye from James, Fred or any of the other front door staff. And management staff (Julie and Shannon) have gone above and beyond to help with any issue I’ve had. The Maintenance guys are super efficient and helpful. I’ve lived in several high rises in different areas of the city. You’re always going to have a crowded sun deck on nice days but I’ve never had a problem getting a chair. That might be part luck, I guess. The gym is pretty standard and well-​maintained, kept clean, has a nice view. Lakeshore East Park is a little oasis in the city — I have a great south view overlooking the park. Now that Mariano’s Fresh Market is open and additional retail is planned, I love living here even more. Super convenient. There is also a new automated e-​mail package notification system which is super handy. Management has always been super responsive and professional.
Only negative — Parking is pricey and there is no street parking.

The Manager of this complex has a terrible attitude. She’s very moody and unprofessional; so basically you are lucky if you get her on a good day. Nice building, but not so nice Manager. It’s sad because the customer service attitude should come from the top… and residents are paying a lot to be treated poorly. Also, they have a habit of waiting far too long in the season to turn over to heat/​air.

The Shoreham has been my home for the past 4 or so years and there are several reasons I’ve decided to stay. First and foremost, its a beautiful building off of a park (how many people in downtown Chicago get to walk out of their front door and into essentially a shared, professionally landscaped yard??). And now with the Mariano’s grocery store across the park from me and a Fifth Third Bank attached to my building, many of my routine errands can be completed in a fraction of the time.
The amenities are numerous and well maintained. When I’ve had friends and family visit me and I cannot wait to show off my building’s amenity floor to them.
The staff is very attentive. I’ve never had to wait more than a day or so to have my apartment’s maintenance needs addressed. I’ve never had a problem with my phone calls or e-​mails to the management office going ignored or unreturned. And our doorstaff is always friendly and in a pleasant mood from my experience.
The apartment itself is great too. The in-​home washer/​dryer makes a huge difference. The kitchen is spacious and every unit has a large kitchen island and plenty of counter space which makes dinner prep a breeze. The balcony and floor to ceiling windows are a nice perk too.
In high rise buildings, the neighbor situation is always a toss-​up, but even though my neighbors, for instance, have small children, I’ve never heard any noise from them in my apartment. My fellow residents of this building really seem to view the building as their «home» and take pride in it like I do.
Wonderful building, well worth the money especially when you factor in the fact that many of the utilites are rolled in with the rent. Highly recommended.

I lived at the Shoreham for two years and just moved out in June (since I moved out-​of-​state). I had an absolutely wonderful experience! The facilities were phenomenal and the apartment very spacious given the rent. Moreover, Lakeshore East is a hard to beat location since it is in downtown Chicago, yet away from the hustle bustle of the city. Its a perfect location if you want to be close to work but away from downtown noise.
Aside from the aesthetics, I found the staff at the management office to be one of the best and most professional I have encountered (and I have lived in over 5 cities over the past 10 years). Shannon and Julie were fantastic and super helpful, even volunteering to move out the furniture I wasn’t able to get rid off at no cost to me!
I have recommended The Shoreham to several folks and would give it 6 stars if that were possible. I realize this sounds too good to be true, but its totally legitimate and I have not been compensated to write this!

For all of the reviews that say the The Shoreham is over-​priced, I’d like to know where in this neighborhood you can get a comparable place. I couldn’t find one.
1-​bed room: south facing, low floor
Likes …
+Amazing, friendly, helpful door and maintenance staff
+Very generous closet space
+Floor to ceiling windows
+Large balcony
+In-​unit washer & dryer
+Sound-​proof from neighbors (I’ve never heard the neighbors on either side or above me)
+Safe
+Gym
+Park
+Closeness to the lake
Dislikes (but not deal breakers):
–Nightlife/​Dining: You pretty much need to take a least a $ 5 cab everywhere. No popping out your door in sexy high heels & walking to dinner. And… the places that are «easily» walkable up on Michigan Ave can be a bit too touristy.

–DishNetwork — Standard package (including Showtime & HBO) included in rent. I really miss my Comcast On-​Demand and you need to have a land line phone to order movies on Dish, which I refuse to do.
–Parking: No street parking for visitors and ramp parking is spendy. Lease a spot — from Field Harbor Parking. Kirk there is awesome and you’ll save about $ 100/​mth
–Climate Control (in-​unit): You either have heat, or air. Not both. So in the Fall when they switch the entire building from air to heat, be prepared to be uncomfortable in a south facing unit if the temp is warm in September.
–Barking dogs tied at ROM
–Mixed counter-​tops: kitchen island is granite & the rest is cheapo stuff
–No linen closet (floor plans show linen closets in the bathroom, mine doesn’t have one)
–View: Try to get on floor 16 or higher for the best views. My favorite view is the south (Millennium Park & Lake Michigan)
–6% monthly rent increase after year 1.
My «dislike» list may seem long, but like I said at the beginning, none of it is a deal breaker to me.

I love living here! We’re on a high floor and our views of Grant Park are unreal. Going on month 3 and couldn’t be happier with the door staff, management, location, and amenities (ROM coffee shop, pool, gym, business center, community rooms). I don’t live on a dog floor, so I can’t speak to those, but our floor and other common spaces throughout the building are always very clean, well appointed with fresh flowers, and quiet.
Great location for public transportation, dining, bars, entertainment, salons, and who wouldn’t love having green space just outside of their front door?! My husband and I love Lakeshore East, and are so happy with the inviting events that the management puts together (even though we’ve never been available to attend them yet do to our work schedules).
I highly recommend this apartment! I’m sure there are less expensive neighborhoods in Chicago, but you certainly get what you pay for here as far as safety, amenities, and location.

Took a tour of The Shoreham a few weeks ago and was impressed with the amenities, however you will pay for everything you get.
The ability to select different finishes was sort of nice, but you’ll pay quite a premium. In fact, the price ranges for all the units I was shown seem about 20% higher than they should be based on similar new rental buildings in the area.
I wasn’t thrilled with the $ 450 admin fee and $ 65 application fee, not to mention the silly $ 75/​month utility surcharge for water and HVAC. Getting heat, air AND WATER without paying an additional fee is standard in almost all highrise apartments. And you know they’ll just raise that surcharge every year in addition to the rent, because renters are a commodity until the real estate market gets better & they convert this building over to condos.