The Octagon

If your cool with paying high rent and boiling hot water on the stove for your baths– this place is for you. They have major boiler issues — sometimes there is hot water but often there is not. I have 4 huge pots I boil because complaining is pointless since maintenance in this building isn’t solution focused, they just like to argue. I have unfortunately lived here 10 years and it has been going on for that long. I would move if I could afford to.
Update– new management came in and won’t stop bothering the tenants with emails of what they are planning to do and when they decide to just randomly come into your home for inspections etc. Its really annoying, it feels like I have another job to stress out about in addition to my own. Advice to management — LEAVE TENANTS ALONE AND LET THEM LIVE!

I’ve lived here for almost a year now and have enjoyed it greatly.
I first moved in a few months prior to the pool opening for summer. It was warm at the time yet the breeze from the river ensures that the temperature will always be 10 degrees cooler then the so rounding boroughs.
The apartment complex which is now under new management has the following amenities:
6 tennis courts
An outdoor swimming pool
A ²⁴⁄₇ concierge desk
Seamstress/​package handler area
An art show room
Daycare and outdoor playground
Gym
Food pantry
Outdoor grills
The surrounding grounds are well maintained and beautiful to view. Near by the a church for Sunday services as well as a fishing pier area to view Manhattan. There is also a baseball field and small community garden area.
The staff is friendly and personable. If you have any needs or questions they are there ²⁴⁄₇ to help out in any way.
Another bonus to living here is the Octagon express red bus. This bus runs during rush hour and only picks up people from the octagon. Also on weekends there is a private black bus for any and all transportation needs.
The only downside to living here is that you are next to a hospital.
Overall this is a great place to raise children away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Lived here for a year. I would not recommend it to any. I moved out once I became a more experienced «New Yorker»
First off, at the time I moved I was a bit of a NY novice; if you want to get out of the Manhattan crazyness there are far better options irrespective of where your work is located. Look into Long Island City, Greenpoint, Forest Hills, Hoboken or Jersey City. They all provide better communities, similar styles of buildings and at better prices. It wouldn’t be so hard to find a similar commute.
Octagon particulars; I really dislike all my interaction with the management of the Octagon, in particular with Laura Fischer. I think they want to give an air of being really professional, when in reality they are not. Request where not dealt promptly, when I tried to move in the room was not ready and they try to put it on me, even though i arrived four days after the lease started, and claimed that in my lease there was a specific point about it (was not, and when confronted with it Laura got super defensive).
I had to stay in an AirBnB in the octagon (which BTW is against the Octagon policy, guess the professionalism pretense fell a bit again) for a couple of days. They also took a portion of my security deposit that i disagreed with (excluding a late move out fee, which was my fault).
I didn’t feel that their management was providing me a service. It felt more like they were trying to screw me over. I was constantly feeling like I was walking on glass with Laura Fischer. If she got mad then you couldn’t get anything out of her.
Overall, I would encourage anybody that is looking to live here to look at alternative options. You are giving up a lot by being so disconnected. And I don’t think their rents are cheap enough to warrant it. There are better options around

I applied for a unit there, submitted all paperwork on the list they give. They called me told me the apt was mine. I have the voicemail. Then the next morning, a different leasing manager tells me I need to submit my paperwork as they are missing several docs. I went there in person and all my documents were there. so was a little confused. Then I got an email saying I still need to give them such and such docs including employment letters which I already gave them and (btw they called my employer and got verification and then emailed after asking for the letters?!).
Long story short… The documents you have to submit are PRIVATE information such as Bank accounts, SS#, etc… which is standard, but I dont think its very professional to keep losing or re-​asking for the same documents and when I told them that via email, they Emailed me back and said «Sorry, not approved»
Umm ok… btw… no reason for me to not be approved, I make 40x the rent and have decent credit… and no reason to leave a voicemail saying I got the apt from one leasing mgr then given the run-​a-​round by another. Next time be more careful and considerate with peoples Private information/​documents

Been living here for about 2 months out of a 5 month sublet, the week we moved in they promised to replace the blinds, here we are at the end of the second month and the blinds have not been changed at all. Initially one of the stove burners would not ignite, when they took a look at it they decided to replace the entire stove because it was that close to failing. The previous tenants had been here two and a half years, I wonder if they had tried to get the stove fixed as well?
Someone else mentioned the red bus, it’s hard to imagine this short an island taking at least 10 minutes to go from octagon to the tram, but that is what it takes, or more! There are too many stops along the way, stops half a block apart, stop signs in between the bus stops, its just a pain. Doesn’t seem like it should be this way, but it is. I don’t understand why the train or the tram aren’t on separate ends of the island rather than both being clustered just barely a block apart.
Ahh the pool, it is great we have a pool, and if you get up after 10 or can get home before 8 you’re free to use the pool, but that’s it. The hours are from 10 to 8 and if you work chances are pretty good that you’ll never get to use it. On the weekends it’s crowded with every kid that lives in the place, so forget about those days too.
In other buildings, the doorman are positioned in such a way that they see everybody coming and going, and as such you get to know them and they recognize you and greet you when you come home. Here that is seldom the case the concierge is off to the side and if you come in the door and head for your apartment you won’t even pass his desk. Not sure that that provides as much security as a concierge who has to be passed to enter the building and considering the size of the complex, I’m pretty sure they don’t know everybody.
You do have building link, which while being a pretty rudimentary website, gives you the ability to pick up some deals as people move in and out seems like at least two or three times a week somebody is selling some of their stuff because they’re moving out. We picked up a table and some chairs at very reasonable prices because the owners moving back to a foreign country
Utility bills: before you move in they tell you how great it’s going to be because it’s a LEED silver certified building. They tell you your electric bill shouldn’t be more than $ 60 a month, but the fellow we sublet from was paying $ 140 a month and he left the windows open most the time so that he didn’t have to run the air conditioner. This last July our electric bill was $ 272 so, don’t believe the $ 60 quote. Also they tell you that the thermostat is programmable, which would be fine if the thermostats actually worked but you can set them on the temperature and they will run until they are well below that temperature or they will not come on even though the room is well above the set temperature. Programmable doesn’t help you any if the sensing portion of the thermostat doesn’t work well.
The one thing you do get here, is quiet. We are on the penthouse floor, which is only the 13^th, we came from le triomphe where we were on the 14^th floor but we were positioned above the Queensboro Bridge/​2^nd Avenue intersection, which is horn honking central, especially around 3 am, when the large trucks use train like horns to express their discontent. Here we can sleep through the night without a single horn waking us, even if the windows are open.
The floors in our apartment are terribly uneven you can see this looking at the baseboard, watching how the hardwood floor falls away from it in the middle of the section and yet touches on both ends you can also see it in all of your furniture which will need shimming so that it will sit upright I’m not sure how you managed to pour concrete and make it so uneven, but they managed to pull it off.
So what are we paying for a two bedroom penthouse at Roosevelt Island? Last month was almost $ 4,600. They say Manhattan itself is even more expensive, and they might be right, but Manhattan doesn’t deal with the red bus.
I work on the corner of 59^th and Lexington, to get to work from octagon is 26 minutes taking the tram, I’m not sure that taking the F train would be any quicker because of the depth of the F train and the quantity of stairs required boat down and up on both ends.

This place LOOKS better than actually living here. I give 1 star for the doormen/​maintenance people, and 1 star for the location… both of these stars are meant in a good way. Other than that, the place is not all that. I will attempt to give the real deal on what I know:
Apt: parquet flooring? For such a nice-​looking building, it has this antiquated-​looking flooring. Also, smells from the adjacent apt creep into yours whenever someone is cooking.
Pool: one the few things (if not THE only thing) free that comes with being a tenant. However, be aware that there has to be a lifeguard available in order for it to be open… no lifeguard, no pool. Also, residents get a 1-​time use guest pass per month, so forget inviting friends over.
Tennis Courts: don’t let the appearance of it in front of the building fool you… it is owned and managed by NYC so you have to get a permit thru the city. Octagon does not have any involvement.
Gym: decent enough, but its a 6-​month commitment at $ 35 a month.
Parking: a free-​for-​all in the basement where you park your car anywhere. There is a 6-​month minimum at $ 355 (including tax) a month.
Media Room: nice enough, but you must pay to rent it for parties, which is ridiculous since you’re a paying tenant… you should be able to rent it at no charge.
Happy hour: a get together held once a month for all tenant where free food and drink is given. The food is usually pasta, sandwiches, chips, and pastries/​cookies. Not bad, but only held for 2 hours.; and the drink includes beer, soda, and juice. Nice time to mingle with other tenants, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Dry cleaning: haven’t used, but its bc its freakin’ expensive… go somewhere else.
Guest parking: tenants and guests are allowed to park in front of the building for 1 hour only… after that, you are given a ticket by NYC. But the thing i find unfair is that there are 2 tenants within the building whom are cops so guess what, the 1 hour rule does not apply to those guys and they get to park there every night, overnight.
Cable/​internet: an additional charge, but its only $ 45 a month. However, the internet speed is SLOW and you have to use your own wireless router, none are provided. There are only 39 TV channels (no movie channels) and you connect thru the 1 coaxial cable that is provided so the picture sucks. If you want to have a second TV, you have to buy another coaxial cable yourself.
Management: other than 1 person (who is leaving BTW), they are not helpful. They either don’t respond, or pass the buck and do not help you out. Also, they tell you that they will enter your apartment for ADA-​inspection purposes… for those tenants reading this, you are NOT required to give them access… Octagon still falls under the laws regulating LL-​Tenant and LL’s are not allowed to enter your apartment without your permission… there is nothing in the lease agreement that allows them to enter your apartment without your permission.
So, this is pretty much what it is like to live at the Octagon… as Cher put it in the movie Clueless, its a lot like a Monet, it looks good from afar, but up close, its big old mess.
UPDATE: there was a Chase ATM near the public computers, but due to lack of use by the tenants, it was removed. However, I was told that it might be making a comeback.

The doorman is incompetent and rude. Seems the the housing opportunities here are pretty lackluster, but I was just interested in taking a look around as it is one of the attraction stops on the island. The lack of professionalism and inappropriate attitude is unacceptable and I hope they do a better job training and evaluating their staff members.

If you do not want to deal with the BS. stay hell out the trouble, do not rent here. First, You will need to swipe a card to use the laundry room, once the machine broke, and u don’t have balance in your card it will take 1 week for them to fix it. My laundry was sitting there for 1 week couldn’t wash them. When u complain to the front desk, they just sit there do nothing. The valet service is horrible, asked them to leave my dry clean outsider will come to pick it up. When I got home at 8:20, my shirt was not there. I complained to the building manager, she blamed on me said why I do not come back home early before they close. What a F joke!
Everything is overpriced here, the shuttle bus runs so slow, yes it seems u r very close to city. But you are not. You can never make it to work on time. There is NO restaurant here at all, you have to go all the way back to the city by taking the bus&tram&train or u can drive to LIC if you have a car. *your pet is not allowed to get on that red bus*
The garage entrance and exit are very tiny. I will not recommend anyone to drive into the garage if you don’t want to get ur car stretched. Parking fee is 300 $ per month btw.
I just can’t wait till my lease is off. Do not rent here. The most horrible experience ever. Save your $, find somewhere else.

It’s hard to fault the building, it’s nice. But I’ve never lived in a place where there’s so much dog excrement left on walkways and in the small park in front. Everywhere you walk: dog poo. And it’s really only three or so people who refuse to pick up. Literally, you can walk out of a door and step in poo. The kids from the daycare play in the park. Most dog owners are wonderful, but the ignorant ones are allowed to get away with it. Management doesn’t issue any notices.

Unrivaled vistas of the west side AND queens — with Hudson in the foreground. For those with the means, I recommend picking up a city apartment here.

The view outside is 5 star but the living experiences are horrible. First of all, most of the staffs including doorman and especially the managements are worst experiences of my life. Amazing how they could be pissed all the time and everytime I go and ask question, it is always with attitude. No wonder other tenants respond with same reviews. Building itself is fine. But if you ask me why I am leaving, I just dont want to deal with people here paying so much rent. No thanks and dont bother with this place. The owner better step up and make some changes or the managements will ultimately bring this place down.
Second the its called the valet service where they take care of the large packages. Its the quite terrible. They lost my package and when it said it was delivered and signed by them. And nothing, they blamed it on post office. Ok I understand that this can happen but how they deal with it after was very disappointing. Well I am out of this place in 10 days. No need for more complaining I guess.

I lived there for 2 years. The area is safe and close to everything you will need on a daily basis. I will def miss the neighborhood. Management is nice and maintenance is quick. The price you pay for luxury however isn’t always worth it. For this price the cheap parquet flooring isn’t up to par. The building is less then 10 years old and the ceilings are cracking. The price for laundry is going up but the machines are breaking more often. Don’t believe what you read about the solar panels they are not there to benefit you. The electric bill was never less then $ 125 for a studio and at times went over $ 200. Lost power for a week during the hurricane but the main building always seemed to have power while the residents food spoiled in their refrigerators. For the price you can find the same thing off the island.

Let me start by saying, I have lived here for 3 years. It’s true the bus can be a PITA, but the building offers express morning rush hour service, plus a free shuttle on the weekends. (Where else in Manhattan can you get door-​to-​door shuttle to transit? oh yeah, Stuy town, go live on the LES, NO THANK YOU)
2^nd, IF you have a car in Manhattan, yes, you will pay $ 300/​mo for parking anywhere.
3^rd, the pool doesn’t cost anything, except the time to renew your annual pass.
4^th The deli is expensive, but a great plus when it’s cold, hot, rainy, snowing if all you need is a few staples, and the owners are SPECTACULAR people! They round down on bills as to not force you to carry change around and they are always helpful.
5^th The doormen/​valets/​maintenance people are all professional and sweet. EVERY maintenance request I have made has been resolved within 24 hrs or less.
6^th HUGE closets!
7^th LOW utilities… never had a bill more than $ 115 (and that was the dead of winter)
8^th Great views
9^th Monthly happy hours… one for family, one for adults only… take your pick.
10^th Management knows us by name & are busy folks, but very responsive.
MOST OF ALL: Rent for the size & amenities beats the heck outta the rest of the city… best kept secret in Manhattan. (And YES, I am in Real Estate, and know what I am talking about!)
Enjoy The Octagon!

Leasing office at this overpriced place is a joke. Avoid it and save you a headache.

One of the Hispanic, middle-​aged (or maybe just paunchy) maintenance guys who works here is incredibly rude and threatening.
Went here yesterday to visit a friend and got grilled by this idiot passing by me in the hallway. He seems to think he is a police officer. He was about to physically ESCORT me/​FORCE me out of the place because I didn’t feel obligated to answer any of his questions.
By the way, the place, especially the long and dreary hallways, look like they came out of a cheap Howard Johnson hotel.

Ideal for picnic’s or just simple gathering’s with friends. I’m glad they have barbecue pits and aren’t so strict about smoking. Only been here once, but am definitely coming back! :)
Oh, did I mention that the sunset here is pretty beautiful?

Love the views, love the pool! Hate the KHB like guards and rules about pool. Apartments are very nice and the price us right.

This is a LONG review, but I feel quite informative.
I lived here for quite a few years. I got a GREAT deal on rent for the time I was there & I felt I paid sufficient money for the spot. Basic cable, internet, and phone are bundled with your rent, so that’s cool. I even got a sweet deal on the gym. Score! And I utilized the heck out of the gym too, wha…
But as time went by, the rent got stupid ridiculous and it was time to go. Plus the commute to Manhattan just got on my nerves, which I thought it never would, but it did. I felt like I lived in Queens… I started to feel really isolated.
The best part about living there? The doorman, concierge, and maintenance guys. They were all SO nice, friendly, gracious, and honest. I really miss them a lot.
So here are the positives & the negatives:
ISSUES
— Worked days & nights, so my sleep was precious to me. Someone’s DAMN dog whined ALL the time, clinking and dragging of objects at odd hours from the neighbors above, and just other random things that were crazy in terms of sound were irritating. Reported sounds, nothing done about them. I came to find out the vent system in the complex is very awry, and management verbally confirmed that.
— When I first moved in, next door neighbor played their music so loud it vibrated my dishes in the kitchen AND you could hear it from the hallway. Inconsiderate idiot… I handled it at first, but then management discouraged that, which is fine. So, I let them take care of it with constant complaining from me since the idiot neighbor was messing up my sleep. That took almost a year for management to get the neighbor to act like a considerate citizen of society…
— The 1^st winter I was there, there was a really loud crumpling, creaking sound in one of my windows. The maintenance people were so great and tried to fix it. It never resolved and was extremely annoying every single winter.
— I wrote a nice, professional negotiation letter to ask for a decrease in rent. They just disregarded it and I’m sure they never read it. It is what it is.
— The red bus… *le sigh* The thing could never leave on time. Was either leaving too early or too late. I had so many issues and complaints about the bus it made no sense. And I wasn’t alone concerning this either…
— No nightlife on the island and the stores & restaurants are subpar. I was always in Manhattan.
— Tram and bus had late night hours till 2:30am on weekdays and 3:30am on weekends. I felt limited with that. I just wanted to be able to stay out whenever and take a taxi ride home that wasn’t a ridiculous amount of money.
— There was talk of a water taxi coming to the island. It never did. But the the East River Ferry appeared out of nowhere and LIC got a port but Roosevelt Island didn’t… –_​–
PLUSES
— Packages went to the concierge desk or the dry cleaning place where you picked them up. Never had to worry about missing a delivery. Seldom a problem with receiving a package.
— Monthly Happy hours & manicures/​massages. What a treat. Yummy appetizers
and sangria. Oh how I will miss…
— What? Actual kitchen space and great appliances? AND ridiculous cabinet space? Get the eff outta here… Winner status indeed.
— Closet space was pretty sick, walk-​in included. But I outgrew it. For the city? It’s a steal and great amount of space for starters.
— Great bathroom. Many compliments from out-​of-​state guests. But it didn’t have great ventilation or a fan, so condensation collected too easily –_​–
— Pool and ridiculous view of the East Manhattan skyline. Definitely miss that too.
— Zipcar located right downstairs. Yes!
— Laundry in the basement was great.
— Gym on the 3^rd floor with great hours. This I will miss tremendously, for the convenience I LOVED. But now I walk barely ½ a block to the gym, but a higher membership fee, which isn’t bad.
You can’t always get what you want, but you get what you need. That’s what the Octagon did for me.
Grateful for the time spent here. Won’t ever go back though, for I’ve definitely found greener pastures.

Living here for about 5 month. The staff is a bunch of small minded idiots. The only culture some of the resident have are bacteria. You are more likely to be hit by a meteorite than walk the corridors without garbage on it: empty *food* delivery containers, old rugs etc. The staff thinks that you have to be thankful to god that they allow you to live here. Asking for a repair? Seriously? What do you think, who the hell you are? Submit a paper requesting the repair! BTW what happens when you do that? (Paper or the internet service) They DELETE IT WITHOUT ACTION.
Before you sign the contract, they promise you a clean and quiet house. 4 out of the 5 month we cannot sleep, because if cannot hear the neighbors insane dog barking, it’s because the neighbor is throwing the usual drunken party with music so loud that the bed moves under you! During the night. If I report it to the house, they tell me they will seriously deal with the situation. I guess after that they just laugh when you have left, because NOTHING whatsoever has changed.
In the middle of the night children and dogs running on the corridors. My advice to you: if your sanity is dear to you, stay far away from this place.

Have been living here for the last few months. While the original building and location are quite nice, the management and staff are definitely not. I would avoid moving here. There are far better places for far less in the area.
A few examples of why you should avoid this place:
1), The rent… WAY too much for what you get. New York is expensive, but even by NY standards, this is truly horrendous value. The level of finish in the building is spartan. White walls everywhere. Cheap floors. Impractical kitchens. REALLY badly designed A/​C units in the apartments that are almost impossible to program and then make a lot of noise when running. Try sleeping through one of these things running!
2), The additional costs of living here. Want to park you car? That’ll be an extra $ 300 a month. Want to use the gym in the building? That’ll be an extra $ 30 a month per person. The guy in the leasing office even tried to explain to me that the additional charge for the gym was to help keep less than serious users away, not to stiff tenants! He’s a real comedian.
3), The staff. They are not the friendliest or most helpful people I have dealt with. Want to borrow a trolley to wheel in your groceries? Prepare to explain to the guy behind the desk specifically what you intend to do with the trolley. He’ll ask, don’t worry!
4), Want to quickly stop off in your car to drop something in to your apartment? Don’t even think about it. They have a guy patrolling the parking spaces outside the building, taking down your details. If you want to park in the building (and do not already pay them $ 300 a month for the privilege), be prepared to fork over $ 8 an hour to temporarily park your car in the underground parking lot.
Living in the Octagon is a quintessential New York experience. Everyone is out to take your money and inconvenience you in every way imaginable.