Alto Towers

Just wanted to give an update to my previous review. I moved out on August 1^st and between my last review and my move-​out date, my experience changed pretty drastically. First of all, like one of the other reviews, bugs became an issue. I came home from a long-​weekend vacation and found tiny cockroaches all over my kitchen, even though I hadn’t left any food out and was sure to tidy up before I left. Luckily, management was very quick about having come in to spray so that was a positive. The problem got better, but it was still an issue.
Second, the laundry machines were all broken for a while leading up to my move out date, so unfortunately I had to bring a heap of dirty laundry with me. The machines were down for over two weeks which is pretty ridiculous for a fairly large-​size apartment building.
Third, and probably the most notable of my experience, I emailed the property manager (who, up until this point, had been very communicative and helpful) multiple times (beginning about a month and a half before my move-​out date) asking for instructions on things I needed to do in order to move out without any issues. Unfortunately, he was continually too busy to reply and finally said that I was good to go. I was not aware that I needed to reserve the elevator ahead of time because when I asked him for further instructions, I was not given any. He told me the morning of my move-​out date that this was something that needed to be reserved in advanced, and that someone else had requested it the week before so she had it. ((Again, I had emailed him about 45 days in advance.)) Throughout my move-​out process, there was nobody else moving out of my building so I could’ve easily had the key for the morning hours, and returned it upon my departure. Unfortunately, the moving company explicitly told me that because we did not have the elevator key to reserve and efficiently pack the elevator, it took an additional hour or so to move which cost me a whole lot more money.

I moved in at the beginning of this month and will update this review if something changes. So far though, this has been a very good experience.
Antonio the manger and his porters have dealt with every issue I have brought to him the same day. Antonio has even jogged things up to my front door on one of the upper floors himself.
As the other reviewers have noted this building has one bus stop right outside the door and two right around the corner that will take you to anywhere in the city. There is a Giant grocery store and a CVS 2 blocks up Wisconsin so if you plan to not own wheels it’s not going to be a very hard walk to resupply your pantry.
The price is painful for me but it’s competitive for DC. If you are able to get an upper floor apartment you will have an amazing view of the National Cathedral and even the dome of the capital building off in the distance!
Only down side I can think of is that at least in my unit half the shelving in the kitchen is very old. With the price of rent in the area it seems absurd that it hasn’t been torn out and replaced by now. But if they did any remodeling I’m sure it would be used to jack the rent up a few hundred so perhaps I should just be happy with what I got. One of these ancient cabinets was a tall, thin, pantry in the corner of the kitchen. I’m sure at one point it had shelves going all the way up to the top but as of my move in it only had two at the very top so it amounted to a huge empty space that was basically unusable unless I wanted to throw my food in a pile at it’s base. I was able to buy 6ft of wire shelving at home depot and install them at intervals from the bottom up but yeah, would’ve been nice if I didn’t have to build shelves at move in.
Other than the kitchen cabinets though, I would recommend this place to another renter; Especially if you are going to American U or Georgetown.

My partner and I lived in Alto Towers for 4 years, and had a wonderful time living there. Our one-​bedroom apartment was spacious, full of natural light, and well-​maintained by the maintenance staff. It also had some beautiful architectural features that we definitely weren’t expecting to get in that price range.
Alto is an older building, and we did have some problems with bugs in the kitchen, but Antonio asked the terminators to spray inside the walls, and we haven’t had issues since. I’d rate the overall condition of the building 4 stars, but the prompt maintenance for issues big and small really makes up the difference. There is laundry in the basement, and all utilities are included in your rent, which is really convenient. The location is fabulous — lots of bus lines, a beautiful neighborhood, new supermarket complex opening this fall, and you can hear the Cathedral bells if you open your windows!

I’ve lived in Alto Towers for about a year now and overall it has been a good experience. The huge draw in the beginning was that it’s right next to the metro bus stop which is extremely convenient. The stop is literally right across from the front door. It’s currently a long distance from any major shopping centers but construction of a shopping center is going on down the street and will be finished soon so that will make getting groceries and other essentials fairly easy in the next year.
Like most old buildings in DC, the décor is old and a little run down. The building definitely shows its age. There are many cracks in walls, ceilings and floors. I also have to watch for mold in the bathroom due to lack of adequate sealant on cracks and lack of ventilation in the bathroom. Unfortunately through the years, it seems like rather than deeply cleaning the apartments after tenants moved out, stains and blemishes were at times haphazardly painted over While not the most stylish or pretty of DC apartments, it’s still cozy and can be adjusted to. The only other issue I’ve had is with bugs. You can request your apartment be sprayed any time. I would also invest in at home remedies such as a bug guard sprays which are sometimes more effective. Most issues just come with the age of the building and can’t necessarily be helped and shouldn’t be a determent from living here. The things that can be fixed are, in a timely manner, which is wonderful.
The reason I stay is because the staff is so kind and extremely responsive to all issues, especially Antonio. Since he took over as manager he has made great strides to fix problems and bring more services to the building. He works to get tenant feedback and is really trying to build a community within the buildings which is much appreciated. There was an earlier issue that occurred in the building and the way in which he proactively responded to the problems and kept all residents informed of the solutions was incredibly impressive. It’s not an easy job to manage two buildings in DC and I think he does a fantastic job. It is rare to find someone so willing to make a better living community for tenants. This isn’t always the case in other apartments so it’s nice to live here where I know that the manager and other staff are working hard to make the community a true home for tenants.
So overall, if you’re a student looking for relatively affordable housing and can overlook minor issues, definitely look into Alto Towers. It has served me well for the year and should do the same for you.