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

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

8.5
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

Great for Kellogg Students

Optima Horizons has a terrific community of Kellogg students. It's in a fantastic location, both close to downtown Evanston and the Jacobs Center. The building is nice, the door staff is very friendly and the individual units are generally very nice with modern finishings and appliances though differ a bit as they're individually owned). The downside is that the property management can be unnecessarily strict and difficult at times, but the pain there is mostly reserved for move in/move out.

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  • 1 bed / 1 bath
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Great building, close to campus

Very Positive Experience!

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

Great location and access to dining/social options

I have enjoyed my time at Optima Horizons so far.

The pros: gorgeous view of Lake Michigan, washer/dryer in unit, parking & utilities (except internet) was included in monthly rent, packages/mail are easy to retrieve from the front desk, entrance is manned for most of the day, and it's a short 7 minute walk to Kellogg.

The cons: the building management can be very difficult to work with (moving any items larger than a box must be coordinated beforehand and require a fee to "reserve the elevator" and it was a pain to schedule a time block to move-in), amenities will vary based on the unit and to what extent the owner upgraded options - our unit had somewhat dated appliances/features, and some owners require a 2-year lease which can be limiting if you plan to study abroad and for summer internships.

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

Great View, but Pricey

Convenient location and a lot of Kellogg students live in the building however management can be nitpicky about rules.

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  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Optima Horizons

Great building

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  • Couple
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
8
Great
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Great Apt with Ton of Kellogg Students

There are so many Kellogg students that live here, which is great because you can run into classmates in the elevator, halls, etc. Management is pretty helpful, although they are pretty particular with some of their rules. Overall, its a great apartment, in a great location!

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

Overall, a great experience, but be aware of somewhat strict condo rules

It's been an overall great experience living at Optima Horizons. The building is relatively new and provides all basic amenities. Rooms are also well insulated and the building is right in the middle of the downtown area with easy access to grocery shops and pharmacies. For people going to Northwestern, this is a great place to be if you are ready to shell out a little bit of extra money, but the amenities (especially the heated pool) are worth it.

However, as it is a condo, you will need to abide by some very strict rules.

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

Optima Horizons

Awesome unit with a fantastic landlord - very responsive, helpful, etc. Great building with full amenities, <10 min walk to campus.

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

Basically the "Kellogg Dorm"

Optima Horizons is a great condo building that's just a short walk to Kellogg and also well positioned to everything in Downtown Evanston. About half of the building is occupied by Kellogg students, which means that there's always someone around if you need help with classwork, need to borrow a screwdriver, or just want to find friends to hang out with. The rent is a little on the higher side, especially if you are living alone, but the units are generally very nice, clean, and up-to-date. It probably makes more financial sense to get a 2BR unit and split the rent with a friend, but no matter what, you won't go wrong living in OH.

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  • 1 bed / 1 bath
10
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Optima Horizons is perfect for Kellogg Students

Optima Horizons is a great place for students to live while attending Kellogg. We were fortunate to find a building and unit that permitted large dogs. It was a reasonable distance from Kellogg, had great amenities including a gym (though the gym has limited equipment), and is within walking distance to everything in Downtown Evanston. The building is pretty quiet and incredible comfortable. We have very much enjoyed our time here.

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  • Couple
  • Pet owner
  • 2 beds / 2 baths

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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