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High-rise Condo
Downtown Evanston, 800 Elgin Rd | Evanston
Overview
Photos
Amenities

Top Amenities

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  •  24-Hour Front Desk
  •  Cat friendly
  •  Dog friendly
  •  Fitness Center
  •  Granite Countertops
  •  Hardwood Floors
  •  Indoor Pool
  •  Oversize or penthouse units
  •  Parking Garage  
  •  Stainless Steel Appliances
  •  Walk-in Closets
  •  Washer/Dryer In Unit

User Rating

8.7
Great
263 Reviews

About this Location

Whole Foods Market
10 min walk
UP-N (rail) - 5 min
208/250 (bus) - 4 min
The Lakefill
18 min walk
Lots of bars and
restaurants nearby

Pricing 

1 Bedroom, 1 Bath
$2,495+
2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths
$2,850+
3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths
$4,600+
Schedule Appointment At
(872) 704-8022

  • Bedrooms

    •  Walk-in Closets

  • Included

    •  Gas Included
    •  Heat Included
    •  Water Included

  • Kitchen

    •  Dishwasher
    •  Garbage Disposal
    •  Granite Countertops
    •  Microwave
    •  Refrigerator
    •  Stainless Steel Appliances
    •  Stove & Oven

  • Laundry

    •  Washer/Dryer In Unit

  • Living Room

    •  Air Conditioning
    •  Hardwood Floors
    •  Large Windows
    •  Lots of Sunlight

  • Parking & Transportation

    •  Parking Garage  

  • Pet Terms & Amenities

    •  Cat friendly
    •  Dog friendly

  • Security & Maintenance

    •  24-Hour Front Desk

  • Sports & Fitness

    •  Fitness Center
    •  Indoor Pool

  • Storage

    •  Additional Storage Available

  • Unique Unit Types

    •  Oversize or penthouse units
X

Overall rating 8.7/10, based on 263 renter reviews Write a review

9.4
Location
7.4
Amenities
8.1
Management
8.7
Value
7.6
Social
9.2
Safety
Excellent
139
Great
98
Good
26
Average
0
Terrible
0

Optima Horizons reviews and highlights

  • Modern finishings and appliances
  • Gorgeous view of Lake Michigan
  • Indoor parking garage is a big plus in the winter
  • Excellent amenities
  • Expensive for Evanston
  • Great bathrooms
  • Indoor Pool is great for kids
  • Great for retirees and seniors
  • Building is clean and well maintained
  • 5-10 min walk to bars and restaurants
  • Lots of sunlight
  • Condo rules can be strict
  • Allows large dogs
  • Great place to live
  • Tons of Kellogg students
  • Amenities in units vary
  • Building is pretty quiet if you aren't on the side next to train tracks
  • Friendly landlord and management
  • Gym is small, but enough for simple workouts
  • Front desk personnel are extremely nice
  • Floor to ceiling windows
  • Fee required to reserve the elevator
  • Fantastic location
Filter reviews for
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Great hidden gem close to all Kellogg activities

One of the better deals in Evanston. Be close enough to Kellogg's social scene without having to deal with noise and feeling like you're living in a dorm. Literally a 3 minute walk to E2 and 5 minute walk to Collectivo / Target. Building is secure; front desk who actually checks who walks into the building, heated garage with designated parking spot, extra storage unit and pool / hot tub access all year round.

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Reviewed by
 
  • Couple
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
10
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Good place

Very responsive staff on the building. My landlord also fixes everything super quickly

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Reviewed by
 
  • Couple
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Great option close to hub, downtown, and E2

Love this place, some units are more updated / nicer than others and all landlord owned. Quieter but also lots of Kellogg people and has good gym, free parking, awesome front desk.

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Reviewed by
 
  • Couple
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
10
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Optima Horizons -- most underrated building in Evanston!

I think Optima Horizons is one of the most underrated buildings to live in in Evanston. There is a gym, pool, and patio, and our apartment is still very updated with hardwood floors and new appliances and our apartment has a patio as well, but it's so much cheaper than other more glamorous-looking building. I also think the location is one of the best in Evanston -- extremely close to campus and to downtown Evanston and train stops.

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Reviewed by
 
  • Couple
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
8
Great
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Optima Horizons Review

Optima Horizons Review

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Reviewed by
 
  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
8
Great
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Good enough

The other units in our building are really nice, but our landlords haven’t updated the apartment since they bought it

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Reviewed by
 
  • Couple
  • Pet owner
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

OHO is great

We've been here for two years and really enjoy our place. The biggest plus is the value you gain from having an individual landlord instead of a management company.

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Reviewed by
 
  • Couple
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Optima Horizons Review

Very spacious

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Reviewed by
 
  • Couple
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
7
Good
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Amenities
Management
Value
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Safety

Optima Horizons Review

Affordable and Good Amenities

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Reviewed by
 
  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
10
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Great value

There are a few things that are out of date but overall great value

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Reviewed by
 
  • Couple
  • 1 bed / 1 bath

The Neighborhood

Signature Spots

dining 29 Recs

Buffalo Joe’s
Bat 17
Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza
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grocery 2 Recs

Whole Foods Market
Trader Joe’s
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convenience 2 Recs

Walgreens
7-Eleven
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fitness 34 Recs

Pure Barre
Evanston Athletic Club
TITLE Boxing Club
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parks 7 Recs

Dawes Park
City of Evanston Recreation Divisi…
Merrick Rose Garden
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coffee 14 Recs

Andy’s Frozen Custard
Bennison’s Bakery
Unicorn Cafe
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Back

About Downtown Evanston

Since it's home to Northwestern, Downtown Evanston is the most popular residential area for Kellogg students. Most apartment buildings in Downtown Evanston are a 20 minute walk from the Donald P. Jacobs Center, and several public transport options can cut that commute even further. This safe and hig...
Walkable
Easy Commute
Great Location
Student Friendly
Social Community
Great Accessibility
Proximity To Amenities
Median rents in Downtown Evanston
Studio
$
1,650
1 Bedroom
$
2,100
2 Bedroom
$
2,150

Getting around Downtown Evanston

UP-N (rail)

5 min

Purple

5 min

208/250 (bus)

4 min

93 (bus)

3 min

213 (bus)

4 min

201 (bus)

4 min

Parking at Optima Horizons

Parking Garage

, , , ,

Parking Near Optima Horizons

City of Evans 1800 Maple Self Park Garage

5 min
$110 / month

City of Evans Sherman Plaza Self Park

5 min
$95 / month

E2 Apartments

8 min
$145 / month
Parking rates are for informational purposes only and may vary — for most up to date pricing, please reach out to the garage directly.

Downtown Evanston Reviews

546 reviews
Reviewed by Kellogg MBA Student living at E2 Apartments
Downtown Evanston has everything you need. E2 is walkable to campus, a Target, and plenty of restaurants, as well as Metra and L stations to get to Chicago. Right across the street is a Subway, a Thai restaurant, and a pizza place, plus there’s a 7-Eleven about a block away, so you’re very close to options if you need food in a pinch.
Reviewed by Kellogg MBA Student living at 1717
Perfect for grad school at Northwestern, but otherwise feels a bit suburban without a booming downtown. There are some good food/bar options, but also a handful of abandoned/empty retail locations -- I'm hoping that means new coffee shops/food venues are coming, but it doesn't look like it just yet.
Reviewed by Student living at Centrum Evanston
All in all ideal downtown Evanston location. Very convenient for public transportation to Chicago, next door to local favorite Bennison's (love the late night smell of donuts baking), and walking distance to plenty of bars, restaurants, and stores. Once the Target goes up by Sherman Plaza and we have an alternative to Whole Foods close by this will be perfect.
Reviewed by Kellogg School of Management Student living at McManus Living-Learning Center
McManus is located right next to Evanston downtown, so everything (restaurants, bars, groceries) is very close by. It's also right next to Northwestern campus (~15-18 minutes to Kellogg Global Hub by foot), which helps quite a lot, esp. in the winter when you'd want to keep your commute as short as possible.
Reviewed by Kellogg School of Management Student living at Optima Horizons
There's plenty to do, but it still takes some effort to get downtown. If you want the quickest ride (metra), then you have to plan ahead and deal with the (infrequent) train schedule. The purple line only runs express during rush hour. Depending on the time of day, your commute can run 20 minutes to an hour and a half.
Reviewed by Kellogg MBA Student living at 1410 Chicago
I would 100% live in Evanston when choosing where to live for my time at Kellogg. There are plenty of amenities of all sorts - everything from two (!) Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's to amazing restaurants (Stained Glass, Boltwood, Found) and quick joints (Freshii, Cozy, Blaze, Cheesie's, etc.) to good bars ranging from dive-y (Bat 17) to more upscale (Bangers & Lace) to great retail, workout options (barre, boxing, and regular gyms), salons, and handy storefronts like hardware, cleaners, etc. Feels like home very quickly!
Reviewed by Kellogg MBA Student living at 1454 Oak Ave
I live just south of the main downtown area, and it's the perfect intersection of being close to the action but also a bit removed when you want some quiet. I like being a in a more residential pocket, so there is slightly less foot traffic and really nice areas to walk around with a dog, etc.
Reviewed by Kellogg MBA Student living at John Evans Building
We're one block from the centre of downtown Evanston. Clearly Evanston isn't going to win any awards for nightlife, culture or dynamism. But, you're not going to get than anywhere near campus. Good news is you're 2 blocks from Davis, which gets you to downtown Chicago in 30 mins.

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