The Statesman

As another review here has stated, The Statesman is a great first apartment for a GW upperclassmen looking for an apartment, while still being close to classes and other GW buildings. I lived in The Statesman for 2 years and throughly enjoyed the experience; however, after 2 years and after graduating from GW, I decided to move on to find another apartment because the rent in Foggy Bottom (and in NW DC) is very high compared to what you can get in Arlington. Though on the topic of location, it’s great if you’re a GW student as you would be close to GW classes and facilities (in fact, within campus boundaries), 5 blocks from Whole Foods, close to other quick-​service eating options and walking distance from the White House and the National Mall. There are other residents who are not GW students, but students are definitely in the majority.
Having looked at other places on or very close to campus it is the better deal relative to those other options if you’re looking for a studio apt (mine was 625 sq ft with an enormous walk-​in closet). The leasing office was friendly and helpful, was they were throughout my stay and concluding with my move out. The apartment itself was in good condition and not too noisy as I was facing the courtyard. You can sometimes hear the noise of residents and their guests walking and talking in the hallway, but other than that, it wasn’t very noisy. The appliances weren’t exactly state-​of-​the-​art, but they weren’t old or bad and worked throughout my stay. I would rather have basic-​looking appliances that are functional than state-​of-​the-​art looking ones that break fairly often (as some of my friends in other buildings with them have experienced). In terms of maintenance, I have had to submit a maintenance ticket a few times and they have been quick to respond within 24 hours and were always friendly and helpful.
The front desk staff has typically been very nice and helpful. Carmicheal and Howard, to name a few, are always friendly, helpful and eager to be of assistance. The 24 – 7 concierge is definitely a plus for The Statesman.
The only thing that really got on my nerves was the billing office. I have dealt with them a couple of times regarding my rent payment and they claimed that they never received it despite setting up automatic payments. It seems that automatic payments is never automatic (having had other friends who used this method experiencing similar problems, even with other mgmt companies). Avalon’s only way of notifying you was through under the door notes, which was problematic for when I was away for a few months even though some of the people at the front desk knew I was away. They could have contacted me by phone or email, but apparently that’s not an option for Avalon. I would have given less stars for this review; however, that would not do the friendly staff and the great apartment justice. Other negatives that I would mention are the small roof (which is strange because there is a lot of potential roof space that is not used) and the small «gym.»
Overall, The Statesman is a great apartment building for GW students in the Foggy Bottom area with friendly and helpful staff. The biggest negative; however, is the billing office of Avalon, having heard of some bad stories of friends dealing with their respective mgmt company in other buildings, it seems that my issues with Avalon were minor. Of the apartment buildings on GW’s campus, The Statesman is definitely the best one with the best value.

Do not live here. The leasing office is extremely difficult to deal with and incredibly rude. They have no respect for their residents bc they know rich GWU students are willing to pay. They increased my rent by the full legal limit of 10% after I’ve lived there for two years and were unwilling to negotiate even though comparable buildings nearby were charging much less.
They did not inform me of fees on my account and took legal action against me without sending proper notice. It has been extremely difficult to fix this situation.
As for the building itself: it is noisy and full of GWU undergrads. Grad students beware — The hallways smell like weed everyday and kids are getting high on the rooftop everytime I go up there.

I’m a student at GW living in the Statesman. The rooms are fairly high quality and the staff is all extremely nice. The walls are thick (I’ve never heard any sound coming from the rooms beside or below me and only a little bit from above) and I definitely love the convenience of having a gym in the basement. Utilities are included in the bill (except cable and Internet), which is convenient.
The building is extremely overpriced though, even for Foggy Bottom. The rent is WAY too high, ranging from about $ 1700 – 1900 a month for a studio apartment, which is a little bit higher than the price of other apartments in the area. But it’s the extra charges that push it over the edge. Your $ 500 security deposit is nonrefundable (how does that make any sense?) and if you want to have a pet it’s another $ 500 nonrefundable security deposit ON TOP OF an extra $ 50 monthly charge. They do waive the security deposit for some tenants, but you also have to pay a $ 500 amenities fee that is, you guessed it, also nonrefundable.
The Statesman is convenient and a high quality building. Even with the extra charges it’s still cheaper than GW student housing, and I have no complaints about anything except for the price. I reiterate that the employees are great and super friendly, and if there’s ever anything that’s broken it gets fixed in a timely manner. If you can afford it, I would definitely recommend living here. But if you’re looking for the best deal around, probably try looking elsewhere instead.

Ehhh… its okay.
Archstone has a lot of better facilities in the NW DC areaif you really want your money’s worth.
Its a great apartment if you want to be on the GWU campus, but dont want to live in the dorms. The rooms are spacious and there are a ton of units that have been built out so that there are more bedrooms than technically listed.
If you do decide to move here, I advise investing in a good air purifier. Every apartment I’ve ever gone into had a distinct smell that changed every couple of hours, depending on the activities of the neighbors.
If you are in undergrad and looking to move «off campus,» but want to still stay close to classes, I recommend over any of the other apartment options I’ve seen.
If you’re in grad school or dont have any affiliation with GWU, save yourself. Go somewhere else.

The Statesman is a great first apartment for GW upperclassman looking to live «off-​campus» while not having to actually be more than a 15 minute walk from on-​campus facilities, classes, events, etc.
In the middle of the freshman side of campus (across from Potomac House and 1 block up from Thurston) the Statesman’s location is a definite dealmaker.
The leasing office staff are completely incompetent– which was a very frustrating aspect of leasing at the Statesman, and I don’t know how 90% of the leasing staff is employed.
Day staff at the front desk and maintenance staff are great. Always attentive, and consistent (complete opposite of night staff, which mainly sits at the front desk watching movies or talking on the phone all night).
The maintenance team is great– always quick to respond to maintenance requests or duties of similar nature.
As for security, the building has what I have deemed a «rent-​a-​cop» on duty at night whose entire job consists of enforcing noise complaints and being old (she has to be at least in her 60s).
The apartments are really mediocre for the price (with studios running around $ 1800 a month) but utilities are included in the monthly rent charge. Cable and internet are not included and the building doesn’t offer a «deal» from any local cable service– I don’t know if I am just new to the cable and internet bill scene– but internet alone runs around $ 40 a month and with cable added to that the total runs around $ 100 a month (which I think is highway robbery!)
The physical condition of the building is below average. It is in desperate need of renovations, and a fresh coat of paint and new carpeting in the hallways which when you walk down, send you straight back into a nightmare of a rainy day in the 70s. The apartments have hideous parquet flooring (I still can’t believe they describe the floors as «beautiful» on the apartment website.) Appliances, cabinetry, etc. are all on the low-​grade scale, and are obviously cheap and poorly made. That being said, with a coat of paint on the walls, a nice rug, and a touch of home, the apartments have a ton of potential.
Although the building is primarily occupied by GW students, there are a few stragglers from the real world who have chosen to live in this apartment complex. In the middle of a college campus, I have no pity for noise complaints etc. from these people. The non-​students who live here are total freaks. Really, though. Avoid conversations with them because you will want to run away and avoid any future encounters. The population of these people vary in age from late 20s to what looks to be well over 100. The 20-​somethings who aren’t students are primarily foreigners… then there are the middle aged crazies who you should avoid interacting with on the principle of them being uninteresting and total party killers, and then the old people who are cute to watch and should be remembered in case of fires, etc. because they need to be carried down the stairs.
Overall, it is a decent «first» apartment but I would NEVER rent here if I weren’t a GW student. Can’t wait to move out/​up!

I lived in the Statesman for 2.5 years as a GWU student. I am assuming that you too are a GW student in reading this review, because if you aren’t you should not live in this building. Unless you like college kids passed out in the hallways and late night parties (like I do), you should not live here. With that said:
The Apartments: They are great little first apartments for young twenty somethings. Standard white box with dreaded parquet panel wood flooring. A little on the pricey side, but hey you go to GW right?
Facilities: The gym is good enough, as is the roof deck. The parking garage underneath is run by a-​holes though that charge the same for residents as they do for the government hot shots that commute and park there. The laundry room was recently revamped and is as good as it gets for a building laundry room. ATM in building is awesome.
Service: Nicest staff ever. Maintenance is quick and well done. The online website makes it easy to report problems, pay bills etc.
Overall: I loved living here, but as soon as I graduated I had to GTFO right away.
Side note: Don’t listen to Chris R. He lived down on the 3^rd floor and never had one party in his place. I think hes referring to his apartment and friends in «The Sims» game.

I lived at The Statesman Apartments for years while attending George Washington University. While I lived there I absolutely loved it: Reasonable Rent with Utilities included, literally on campus, and large rooms.
I would have to say though if I didn’t go to GW at the time I would probably not have been happy in the building. I would have to guess that around 75% of the building is students and if you are looking for a quite residential building this is NOT the place for you. On any given weekend (which starts on Thursday for those who have not been in college for while) you will hear loud parties and will probably catch a nice whiff of some herbal relaxation. Now as a student this was not a problem at all for me, all though there were some residents who were not happy.
I will honestly say there were weekends when I had 50 – 70 people in my apartment drinking and partying until the early hours, which is why I loved it. So make sure you take this into account before you rent, your not going to experience this on the tour at noon (most of the building will probably still be asleep).