Home  >  Chicago  >  Evanston  >  Downtown Evanston Apartments  >  Optima Towers

High-rise Condo
Downtown Evanston, 1580 Sherman Ave | Evanston
Overview
Photos
Amenities

Top Amenities

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  •  Cat friendly
  •  Controlled Access
  •  Dog friendly
  •  Fitness Center
  •  Granite Countertops
  •  Hardwood Floors
  •  Indoor Pool
  •  Parking Garage  
  •  Private Balconies
  •  Resident Lounge
  •  Stainless Steel Appliances
  •  Washer/Dryer In Unit

User Rating

7.9
Great
40 Reviews

About this Location

Whole Foods Market
7 min walk
UP-N (rail) - 7 min
Purple Line (metro) - 7 min
The Lakefill
21 min walk
Lots of bars and
restaurants nearby

Pricing 

1 Bedroom, 1 Bath
$2,400+
2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths
$3,500+
3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths
$4,500+
Schedule Appointment At
(872) 704-8022

  • Bedrooms

    •  Walk-in Closets

  • Building Related

    •  Elevators

  • Entertainment

    •  Resident Lounge

  • Included

    •  Basic Cable 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

  • Parking & Transportation

    •  Parking Garage  

  • Pet Terms & Amenities

    •  Cat friendly
    •  Dog friendly

  • Security & Maintenance

    •  Controlled Access
    •  On-site Maintenance

  • Sports & Fitness

    •  Fitness Center
    •  Indoor Pool

  • View

    •  Amazing Views
    •  Private Balconies
X

Overall rating 7.9/10, based on 40 renter reviews Write a review

9.2
Location
5.9
Amenities
6.5
Management
8.3
Value
5.3
Social
8.9
Safety
Excellent
15
Great
16
Good
8
Average
1
Terrible
0

Optima Towers reviews and highlights

  • Indoor pool and jacuzzi
  • Lots of space to entertain
  • Great amenities
  • All the appliances you need
  • 5 min bike ride to campus
  • Heated parking garage
  • Great for families
  • Lots of retirees
  • Close to all of Evanston's nightlife
  • Maintenance varies by your condo owner
  • Building is quiet
  • Large walk-in closets
  • Great view of Lake Michigan
  • Spacious bathrooms
  • Amazing location
  • Huge master bedrooms
  • Building has been wonderful
  • Modern apartments that are in great condition
  • Small, but functional gym
  • Close to lots of restaurants
  • Parking is included
  • Rent is very reasonable
  • Washer/Dryer included
  • Amazing balcony
  • Large modern kitchens
Filter reviews for
10
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Great location and amenities

This is by far the best located apartment building we've seen. We are as close to downtown as you can get. Small gym in the building with a small indoor pool and jacuzzi.
Perfect sized apartment with great maintenance team.

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

Awesome location

Awesome location and very nice apartments

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

Highly recommend Optima Towers

Great value - washer/dryer, new dishwasher, fridge, stove, microwave, heated floors in winter, central A/C & heat controlled in the unit by you. Spacious bathroom and huge bedroom for a 1bd/1ba. Two walk-in closets. Deck (large enough for our full size gas grill and several people to hang out while grilling). Large kitchen as well. In a great location - center of downtown Evanston. Building is quiet with mostly "grown-ups" who live in the condo they own and then a handful of Kellogg students renting out the rest of the units from owners that have moved away.

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

Beautiful Building, Few Students

Our building has been wonderful. It's nicer than any other condo building that I've been in and our landlord has been very helpful. It is less than a block away to both the El and Metra, which is perfect for my fiancé and her job in the city. Parking is included in the rent and is heated, which is a huge perk during the winter.

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

Lovely

Great building, amenities, and location

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

Great apartment

The apartment is very nice and have a great view of the Lake Michigan

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Reviewed by
 
  • Family w/ children
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
8
Great
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Great for dining, but a bit far from campus

The apartment itself is great, and our balcony is huge. Our view isn't great (apartments across the courtyard), but the apartment is well equipped (furnished) and with no major faults. The master bedroom is quite large, but the second bedroom is small (and with a pole taking up valuable space). That room is great as a nursery, but would be small for an MBA given the lack of closet space.

There are several other Kellogg students in the building, but it is by no means party central. The building has a good parking garage and also has a small pool/hot tub and workout facilities.

My landlord is overseas, but we the few (minor) issues that we had were taken care of extremely quickly. Overall, I think that this unit was a great find.

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  • Family w/ children
  • 2 beds / 2 baths

The Neighborhood

Signature Spots

dining 27 Recs

Buffalo Joe’s
World of Beer
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 35 Recs

Pure Barre
Evanston Athletic Club
Akemi Fitness Method
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parks 7 Recs

Dawes Park
Merrick Rose Garden
Clark Street Beach
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coffee 16 Recs

Andy’s Frozen Custard
Cupitol Coffee & Eatery
Other Brother Coffeebar
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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)

7 min

Purple

7 min

208/250 (bus)

5 min

213 (bus)

2 min

201 (bus)

2 min

93 (bus)

7 min

Parking at Optima Towers

Parking Garage

, , , ,

Parking Near Optima Towers

City of Evans Sherman Plaza Self Park

7 min
$95 / month

City of Evans 1800 Maple Self Park Garage

11 min
$110 / month

City of Evans Church Street Self Park Garage

12 min
$95 / 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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