Local Guides World
Victoria Marie Clary
1 reviews on 1 places
I lived at Tower 801 for 14 months. There are pros and cons to any apartment building, so I will give you my impressions of Tower 801 in downtown Seattle.
Pros: Smart floor plans with good use of space. Every apartment has at least one balcony, (one bedrooms have two, two bedrooms have three, etc.). Full sized stacked washer & dryer. Never experienced water leaks in my apartment. Never experienced insects in my apartment. I liked the wood-look vinyl flooring because it looked good, was durable, and easy to keep clean. The kitchen in my apartment had a “breakfast bar” area where you could use counter-height bar stools with room for three people. Kitchen has lots of cabinet and countertop space. My apartment had vertical blinds, and I know some people don’t like these, but I do like them. Bathroom has a generous amount of countertop and storage space. The apartment has heating and air conditioning, but I rarely used them, yet never felt too cold or too hot. There’s a coffee shop downstairs that opens early. Darlene was sweet and always had a welcoming smile. I liked the location because it is walking distance to so many places such as grocery stores, my dentist, my doctor (at Virginia Mason), restaurants, etc.. In my case, I had very few instances when I needed maintenance, but when I did need them, they came right away. I felt the monthly rent for my studio apartment was reasonable. When I moved out, I got almost all of my deposit refunded.
Cons: My apartment was facing the alley (where the trash dumpsters are) and the roof of part of the convention center, so it was noisy and the view was not very nice. My neighbors made a lot of noise and I could hear them, so I guess the insulation was not very soundproof. I didn’t like the valet trash service because it was inconvenient and there were too many rules, plus it cost $25 a month. I don’t really care about amenities, but if it is important to you, be aware that the “gym” looks small and is without many exercise machines, and the community room was almost always unaccessible. When I first moved in, there was only one elevator, and when it broke, we had to use the stairs, but this only happened about five times, and now there are two elevators which seem to be working much better due to extensive repairs. My apartment was one of the remodeled units, but some have not been remodeled, so unless you want a coil burner stove and ugly carpet, ask for a remodeled unit which will have nice kitchen appliances and nice flooring. I did not rent a parking space so I can’t comment on that topic, but when I did see the garage a couple of times, I thought it looked pretty spooky.
Tips & Suggestions: Ask to see an apartment facing Pine Street on a high floor. If you think you want a studio, also consider a one bedroom because they are only a little bit more expensive. When you move in, immediately make a list of anything that is broken, missing or dirty, and make photos too, then send a maintenance request to correct the problems. When you move out, clean everything thoroughly so that you can get your deposit back, and it wouldn’t hurt to have photos of how nice it looked when you moved out.
One last thought: Tower 801 is an historic building that was considered iconic as a modernist style tower when it was completed in 1972, and was one of Seattle’s tallest residential skyscrapers at that time. If you appreciate mid century modern style architecture or furniture, you will fit right in with the authentic cool vibes of this unique round tower.
Pros: Smart floor plans with good use of space. Every apartment has at least one balcony, (one bedrooms have two, two bedrooms have three, etc.). Full sized stacked washer & dryer. Never experienced water leaks in my apartment. Never experienced insects in my apartment. I liked the wood-look vinyl flooring because it looked good, was durable, and easy to keep clean. The kitchen in my apartment had a “breakfast bar” area where you could use counter-height bar stools with room for three people. Kitchen has lots of cabinet and countertop space. My apartment had vertical blinds, and I know some people don’t like these, but I do like them. Bathroom has a generous amount of countertop and storage space. The apartment has heating and air conditioning, but I rarely used them, yet never felt too cold or too hot. There’s a coffee shop downstairs that opens early. Darlene was sweet and always had a welcoming smile. I liked the location because it is walking distance to so many places such as grocery stores, my dentist, my doctor (at Virginia Mason), restaurants, etc.. In my case, I had very few instances when I needed maintenance, but when I did need them, they came right away. I felt the monthly rent for my studio apartment was reasonable. When I moved out, I got almost all of my deposit refunded.
Cons: My apartment was facing the alley (where the trash dumpsters are) and the roof of part of the convention center, so it was noisy and the view was not very nice. My neighbors made a lot of noise and I could hear them, so I guess the insulation was not very soundproof. I didn’t like the valet trash service because it was inconvenient and there were too many rules, plus it cost $25 a month. I don’t really care about amenities, but if it is important to you, be aware that the “gym” looks small and is without many exercise machines, and the community room was almost always unaccessible. When I first moved in, there was only one elevator, and when it broke, we had to use the stairs, but this only happened about five times, and now there are two elevators which seem to be working much better due to extensive repairs. My apartment was one of the remodeled units, but some have not been remodeled, so unless you want a coil burner stove and ugly carpet, ask for a remodeled unit which will have nice kitchen appliances and nice flooring. I did not rent a parking space so I can’t comment on that topic, but when I did see the garage a couple of times, I thought it looked pretty spooky.
Tips & Suggestions: Ask to see an apartment facing Pine Street on a high floor. If you think you want a studio, also consider a one bedroom because they are only a little bit more expensive. When you move in, immediately make a list of anything that is broken, missing or dirty, and make photos too, then send a maintenance request to correct the problems. When you move out, clean everything thoroughly so that you can get your deposit back, and it wouldn’t hurt to have photos of how nice it looked when you moved out.
One last thought: Tower 801 is an historic building that was considered iconic as a modernist style tower when it was completed in 1972, and was one of Seattle’s tallest residential skyscrapers at that time. If you appreciate mid century modern style architecture or furniture, you will fit right in with the authentic cool vibes of this unique round tower.