Gramercy Wilshire Apartments

The Gramercy Wilshire is a reasonably well-maintained building in Koreatown. The building is very old (built late 1920s), and has the quirks associated with a building of that age.

Overall, a really nice place to live at, if you can cope with the quirks listed below.

The good bits:
=> Rent is low for the neighborhood. We're paying $1,995/mo.
=> Rent control!
=> Utilities (electricity, water, heat) are all free.
=> BIG rooms, very sunny and airy. Great gusts of wind blow through the apartments,... and keep things cool even though the building isn't equipped with airconditioning.

The bad bits:
=> You pay $50 for a parking spot in the cramped gated garage. You only get this spot if you rent one of the bigger (2-bedroom) apartments, as far as I know. If you have more than one car, there's a lot right next door (620 S Gramercy Place) that you can pay $80/month for a spot.
=> The elevators keep failing. They are also from the late 1920s, and they show their age. Repairs take MONTHS (literally).
=> There are only 2 washers and 2 dryers for the entire building and all the apartments, total, on the first floor.
=> Parking in the neighborhood for visitors is terrible.
=> The building does not have airconditioning, and the landlord does not permit window or portable ACs to be installed.
=> The building manager, Peggy, is an interesting person, but she gets the job done.
=> There is a mild cockroach infestation in the building, but nothing that's too unhandleable. Read More