Excelsior & Grand

I currently live here and I have to say the reason there are even 2 stars is the amenities and layout of my place. Otherwise the reason for the missing 3 other stars is the staff and their in ability to respond to any request period. We moved in because we are a young professional couple and saw that there were others like us in these buildings.
Little did we know a month later we had a family of elephants move in above us who like to let their small child (less than 4 years old) run around and scream until about 2 am playing and bouncing their toys off the floor. It is so bad we can here it from the first and second level of our apartment and they too have a two story unit. The office has been contacted 3 times in the past week begging to address this with the neighbors and at least let us know they got the message AND… Nothing! No acknowledgement of even receiving a phone call or email.
I should have realized something was up when we moved in. The moment we got the keys it was like the girl in the office closed up shop and took off. We had left a voicemail about getting a possible elevator key so our furniture wouldn’t get marked up and the phone went straight to voicemail and I never received a call back.
Don’t even get me started on misspelling of our last names, I am not sure if maybe they just can’t read what is on the printed lease or they don’t care to even try.
Maybe if they change the management we will continue our lease but at this rate I think we would have to put a missing persons report in to even find someone that works there.
I wouldn’t even be surprised if when this posts I finally get an email acknowledging that they got my voicemail from a week ago. But not that they asked the neighbors to kindly parent their child and realize they are in an apartment building not a house.
Bottom line one of the worse management companies I have ever dealt with. I am not even sure management knows the meaning of quiet enjoyment. Rent at your own risk.

I lived at this apartment complex during an internship for the summer of 2011 and absolutely loved it. The facilities are really nice and it felt more like a neighborhood than a freestanding apartment high rise because of all the amenities and businesses available on the street level. The service of the staff was also very good — the move in/​out process is very organized and they make it really short compared to most places I’ve lived. During the summer my AC stopped working and while I only considered it an inconvenience, they made the repair emergency priority and had it repaired before I got home from work on the same day.
Some of the highlights of living here:
Fully furnished with an especially nice kitchen
Private pool area for residents and indoor hot tub area
Multiple grills in an indoor courtyard
McCoys right next door for happy hour on the patio
Fob entry into the building and private underground parking
Trader Joes and local parks within a short walking distance
Walk-​in closets and washing/​drying machines in each apartment
Just a short ride away from Lake Harriet and Uptown
I should mention that I had housing included in my compensation for that summer, but I did look into the rent cost and considered that value in my offer. I’m not sure I could pay quite that much for rent, but if you are looking for something nice, new and entry level luxury, Excelsior and Grand is a great option.

Cool place to live for out of town transplants. There is a real community feel that gives everyone opportunities to meet people. Good restaurants, bars and close to Uptown. The pool tends to get very busy in the summer time because everyone invites guests. This place was the highlight to my 2+ years in frozen Minneapolis.

I was actually surprised to read a few negative comments about E&G.
I loved my stay at E&G. Ignore the comments about the staff. The staff is available,
friendly, and dependable. I had a few noise issues, which is common in apartment living, they took care of the issue immediately. The entire staff is just lovely!
Amy, Leasing Manager, is always available if you have an issue. She really does a great job, and takes prides in running an efficient property.
Also, Diana, who works in the office, rocks!

I lived here a long time ago (²⁰⁰⁴⁄₅), so my rating is based on that era. At that time I had just moved to Minnesota, and this was the first place I lived. I was suckered in because it was a newer building at the time, with a «polished» look.
However, this building is akin to the cougars you meet in SLP bars: all done up on the outside, but on the inside exists just a bland, wretched soul looking to take advantage of young professionals that don’t know any better.
All of the apartments are boring, consisting of lame layouts at prices that will get you a nice loft downtown.
My biggest grief was that the staff was unethical during the move out process (charging fees for stuff that wasn’t a problem). Other tenants I talked to had different horror stories (mine was that my sofa didn’t fit in the building; it wasn’t that big).
Do yourself a favor and avoid this place. There are many nicer buildings in uptown and downtown (not Saint Louis Park) for a similar price.
Check out these reviews of E&G:

My husband and I lived in the E&G apartments for a little over a year before buying our house and had a great experience there. The location is a major plus — super easy access to groceries (Byerly’s and Trader Joe’s), Target, restaurants, movies, Park Nicollet clinic, and Wolfe Park. Our actual apartment was fantastic too — brand new kitchen appliances, bathrooms with granite countertops on the vanities, in-​unit laundry and plenty of options to choose from in terms of size and floor plan when we first picked out our apartment. We had practically zero issues with noisy neighbors; in fact, I can really only think of a handful of times when we could even hear that there was someone next door. Honestly, the only negative that I can think of is that the elevators in the buildings are really slow.
We didn’t really use the other amenities on site, but there is an outdoor pool, fitness center and a large common room that you can rent for events or take part in the monthly happy hours. We found the management staff to be very responsive and friendly, and the one time we had to call maintenance about a leaky toilet, they had it fixed within 24 hours. Another big advantage to living at E&G is that parking is never a problem. We had one underground spot included in our rent which was essential during the past winter (you can rent additional underground spaces for a monthly fee if you’re a two-​car household). For guests, the parking ramp between buildings is free and never full and there’s usually plenty of free street parking as well.
As for rent, it’s not exactly cheap, but we felt that between the quality of the apartment and location, it was reasonable. When we signed our lease the management was running a few specials which also helped bring our monthly rent down. We were very happy living at E&G and would highly recommend it to anyone!

Before the blizzard of 2011 I would have rated this 3 stars. I feel like I’m always on the hunt for a new apt complex (3^rd in 3 years)… and can never quite find the perfect mix. The only con on this building was the fact that it’s not in walking distance from Uptown bars… but the pro is then you don’t have uptown traffic.
After the two days of not having a car — my weekend didn’t stop. Yoga. Check. Starbucks. Check. Gym. Check. McCoys. Check. Even some delightful chinese take-​out.
The rentals are a little pricy — yet you have a gym, pool, sweet community room (if you take advantage of it)… and the included underground parking and laundry in unit is a big sell.
14 inches of snow? Bring it Minnesota.

I recently moved into E and G, in the 3709 building and have already amassed a few comments that I think you will find interesting.
1. I highly recommend NOT renting directly from E & G. There are 3 chicks who work in the office, only 1 is actually a real, nice person. The other 2 have serious attitude which, given the current real estate climate, is simply abominable.
2. Pool, fitness center, underground parking, common rooms, nice sitting rooms and excellent upkeep of the buildings make this a great place to live.
3. My criteria when looking for a condo included: must have secure entry, must be able to walk to bar, coffee shop and grocery store. E and G exceeded these criteria and the following is a non comprehensive list of the neighborhood jaunts:
— laredos tex mex (hellooooo friday karaōke)
–trader joes
–starbucks
–mccoys
–oceans nail salon
–shoe stores
–clothing stores
–acupuncture
–kindercare
etc etc… the list really goes on and on. Overall the E&G complex is a fabulous place to live and I highly recommend it… IF you can rent from an owner =)