Home  >  Chicago  >  Evanston  >  Downtown Evanston Apartments  >  Optima Horizons

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

Top Amenities

View All >
  •  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
Filter reviews for
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Great location and value

Easy walk to campus, downtown, and other major buildings in the area. One of the cheapest major buildings to live in and has everything you need.

Keep reading
Was this review helpful?
  Yes
  No
Reviewed by
 
  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Great value

Great value for an apartment - rent is reasonable, apartments are spacious and it is in a great location.

Keep reading
Was this review helpful?
  Yes
  No
Reviewed by
 
  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
10
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Great Place for Kellogg Students

OHO is a great building with 24 hour security and all the amenities you could need, including parking within the building that is included with the rent. All the floor plans are very spacious and the units get ALOT of natural light. There is also a good community of Kellogg students within the building, and it is only a 15-20 minute walk to the Hub.

Keep reading
Was this review helpful?
  Yes
  No
Reviewed by
 
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Great value, space, and location. Unit quality varies

Living in a 1bed + den at OHO and have really enjoyed it. Location is good walking distance to everything (Kellogg, other popular buildings, food, gyms, etc). Staff is great, amenities are ok (indoor pool + hot tub is nice).

Experiences vary a bit as these are condo buildings and owned by individual owners. Thus your experience with landlord and unit quality / design will vary. Ours was great, though. Floor to ceiling views of the lake and nicely renovated.

Main downside is having to sign a 2 year lease, but it can still end up being cheaper than other buildings given the lower monthly price

Keep reading
Was this review helpful?
  Yes
  No
Reviewed by
 
  • Couple
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Optima Horizons Review

Great value!

Keep reading
Was this review helpful?
  Yes
  No
Reviewed by
 
  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Optima Horizons Review

Great Condo Building

Keep reading
Was this review helpful?
  Yes
  No
Reviewed by
 
  • Couple
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
8
Great
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

OHO is great for social people with introverted tendencies

I love living in OHO and I love the vibe of everyone who lives here. We are a bunch of people who love socializing but don't need to party all the time and definitely need some chill time on our own. The hot tub is also super clutch. It's also very well located in my opinion, and is close to all the other "Kellogg apartment buildings", grocery stores, and public transit.

Things I wish I had known: it's super close to the L so you hear it passing at all hours, especially if you live in an even numbered apartment. You get used to it but it can be jarring at first. Also, the walls are super thin inside the apartment.

But overall, would highly recommend it. Living here has been one of the best decisions I've made.

Keep reading
Was this review helpful?
  Yes
  No
Reviewed by
 
  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Optima Horizons

Individually owned condos so experience is largely dependent on responsiveness of landlord. Quieter building (a lot of families live here) but there are a ton of Kellogg students and within 5-10 minutes walking distance to other buildings. Floor-to-ceiling windows so there is great lighting and lots of amenities included in the rent.

Keep reading
Was this review helpful?
  Yes
  No
Reviewed by
 
  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
6
Good
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Solid Apartment. Great Location. Quiet Living.

Each unit will vary significantly since these are privately owned condos that people are renting. Typically the units are somewhat recently updated and in good condition. The apartment community is diverse with Kellogg students only accounting for a small percentage of the total building. Most of the non-Kellogg residents are middle aged to older. The Kellogg students in this building have a slack channel and do occasional social events but it not a particularly social building (relatively quiet). The location one of the best of the major Kellogg living buildings with one of the shortest walks to class and groceries.

Keep reading
Was this review helpful?
  Yes
  No
Reviewed by
 
  • Couple
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
10
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Optima Horizons Review

Amazing apartments in one of the best locations in Evanston

Keep reading
Was this review helpful?
  Yes
  No
Reviewed by
 
  • Roommates
  • Pet owner
  • 2 beds / 2 baths

The Neighborhood

Signature Spots

dining 29 Recs

Buffalo Joe’s
Bat 17
Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza
See more

grocery 2 Recs

Whole Foods Market
Trader Joe’s
See more

convenience 2 Recs

Walgreens
7-Eleven
See more

fitness 34 Recs

Pure Barre
Evanston Athletic Club
TITLE Boxing Club
See more

parks 7 Recs

Dawes Park
City of Evanston Recreation Divisi…
Merrick Rose Garden
See more

coffee 14 Recs

Andy’s Frozen Custard
Bennison’s Bakery
Unicorn Cafe
See more

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

, , , ,

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.

Similar apartments & condos

  Downtown Evanston

1 Bed $2,300
2 Beds $3,000
3 Beds $4,200

Check availability
  Northeast Evanston

2 Beds $3,000

Check availability
  Downtown Evanston

1 Bed $1,950
2 Beds $2,400

Check availability
  Downtown Evanston

1 Bed $2,400
2 Beds $3,500
3 Beds $4,500

Check availability
  Downtown Evanston

1 Bed $2,000
2 Beds $2,300
3 Beds $3,500

Check availability
  Downtown Evanston

1 Bed $1,500
2 Beds $2,750

Check availability