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High-rise Condo
Downtown Evanston, 800 Elgin Rd | Evanston
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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

8.5
Great
259 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 8.5/10, based on 259 renter reviews Write a review

9.4
Location
7.4
Amenities
8.0
Management
8.7
Value
7.7
Social
9.2
Safety
Excellent
135
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
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8
Great
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Great Value

The building is clean and in great condition. The gym isn't anything out of this world, but it'll get you through in the winter. Also has an indoor heated pool and rent includes cable and internet.

Only 5-10min walk to campus, downtown, the train station, and e2 (most get-togethers will take place in this building)

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  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
7
Good
Overall score
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Amenities
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Optima Horizons review

Very good value for rent. My one complaint is that the building is not as social as E2, but that's not a big deal overall

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

I love Optima Horizons!

I love living in the Optima Horizons complex.

Positives:
1. One side of the apartment is all floor to ceiling windows, and gets good natural light during the day.
2. Close to everything! The public transit, 10 min walk to school (7 minutes if you're running late to a class, and need to POWER WALK/RUN it).
3. Central to all other apartment complexes that your friends live in.
4. This COULD be a positive or negative - but you'll randomly find yourself in the elevator with a dog! WIN!
5. Super attentive front desk staff. They're very helpful, will let you use the cart anytime you're hauling any big packages to your apartment

Negatives:
1. The one annoying thing about this unit in particular is that the washer and dryer are located in the master bedroom (not that big of a deal, since my roommate is cool with me going in and doing laundry any time, but can see that becoming a nuisance if I'm a night owl and prefer doing my laundry then.)
2. In comparison, this apartment feels slightly on the more expensive side for having to sign a two year lease, AND for not being able to sublet it over the summer. I know that I'm paying a premium for location, but it's a pretty heavy premium.

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

Best Location

Closest condo building to Kellogg and also close to all of the bars/downtown area. The unit itself has tons of space. Amenities (gym, pool, etc.) could use some improvement but they're upgrading a lot of the facilities now.

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  • Couple
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
8
Great
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Location
Amenities
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Safety

Convenient and safe, but units vary

Because this is a condo building, each unit varies in terms of the build-out (i.e. wood-floor, upgraded counters, etc.). Additionally, some units have more control over their A/C through a thermostat, where others (including ours) have more of an on/off switch for air-control. The building has front-desk security to accept packages which is fantastic, and they staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. Rent can vary from one unit to another as these are condos and the majority seem to be independently owned. Also, the Davis street station for the L and Metra are both within a 5 minute walk.

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  • Couple
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
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Safety

Optima Horizons is awesome

Tons of space and great amenities for the price. Management is friendly and location is ideal. No complaints!

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  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
10
Excellent
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Amenities
Management
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Safety

Absolutely love it

I think Optima Horizons is the closest apartment complex to the Jake, which is super convenient. Our apartment is beautiful: floor to ceiling windows and very modernized and new appliances. Washer/dryer in the unit. There is a little gym in the complex as well as a patio with grills that we can use when it's warmer out. There's an indoor pool and hot tub, and a big party room we can rent out for $50. The building is a mix of Kellogg students and old people, which is kind of strange but weirdly works out very well. They are strict on no subletting, and are lacking any common space for group meetings, but I couldn't be happier with my choice to live here!

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

Optima Horizons

Overall it's a great place -- it's nice if you don't want to be in the center of the party action, but you want to be very close by to it (2 minute walk to E2). The location is great (7-9 minute walk to the Jake), and it's close to a lot of restaurants in downtown. The building itself is in great condition, but the units vary because they are owned by individuals. Our apartment is amazing and has updated cabinets and wood floors; the layout is also nice. All of the units have balconies. We also have a W/D in unit and a dish washer. The bedrooms can both fit full+ beds. You can hear the trains outside, but it's not too bad if the windows are closed. Our landlord is also incredible and always responsive when we need something.

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

Good-ish for Kellogg Students

Live on the top floor so have high ceilings and lots of natural light. Door staff isn't always there which can be annoying but they accept packages. Do not allow any subleasing and have strict move-in/move-out rules.

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

Optima Horizons

Love the location of Optima Horizons, and it's got just the right number of other Kellogg students to be a fun and social building without being too crazy. The building is made of condos, so some units are more modern than others, but in general they're well-designed with a good amount of space, and very comfortable. I'm less thrilled with the amenities: The gym is really lacking, and it doesn't have the common areas that other buildings do. It does have an indoor pool, but I've never used it.

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  • 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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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


Parking at Optima Horizons

Parking Garage

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Parking Near Optima Horizons

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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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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