Home  >  Chicago  >  Evanston  >  Downtown Evanston Apartments  >  McManus Living-Learning Center

High-rise Apartment
Downtown Evanston, 1725 Orrington Ave | Evanston
Overview
Photos
Amenities

Top Amenities

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  •  24-Hour Front Desk
  •  Air Conditioning  
  •  Building Laundry Room  
  •  Business Center
  •  Elevators
  •  Fitness Center
  •  Furnished Units Available
  •  Granite Countertops
  •  Parking Garage  
  •  Pet Friendly
  •  Resident Lounge
  •  Stainless Steel Appliances

User Rating

6.7
Good
112 Reviews

About this Location

Whole Foods Market
6 min walk
UP-N (rail) - 9 min
201 (bus) - 3 min
The Lakefill
19 min walk
Lots of bars and
restaurants nearby

Pricing 

Studio, 1 Bath
$1,125+
1 Bedroom, 1 Bath
$1,480+
2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths
$1,615+

student only housing

Open to Northwestern students only.

Please visit Northwestern's student housing site or call (847) 467-4663 for leasing information.

  • Building Related

    •  Elevators
  • Convenience

    •  Business Center
  • Entertainment

    •  Game Room
    •  Resident Lounge
  • Included

    •  Electricity Included
    •  Gas Included
    •  Heat Included
    •  Internet Included
    •  Water Included
  • Kitchen

    •  Dishwasher
    •  Microwave
  • Laundry

    •  Building Laundry Room  
  • Lease Terms

    •  Furnished Units Available
  • Living Room

    •  Air Conditioning  
  • Parking & Transportation

    •  Parking Garage  
  • Security & Maintenance

    •  24-Hour Front Desk
  • Sports & Fitness

    •  Fitness Center
X

Overall rating 6.7/10, based on 112 renter reviews Write a review

9.5
Location
6.1
Amenities
7.2
Management
6.9
Value
7.8
Social
9.1
Safety
Excellent
13
Great
24
Good
45
Average
20
Terrible
10

McManus Living-Learning Center reviews and highlights

  • Furnishing is a little old
  • All utilities included
  • Exclusively for Kellogg students
  • Great value
  • Carpets could be better
  • Noise-proof walls
  • Building is a little old
  • The laundry room is easy to use and affordable
  • Some of the apartments are refurbished
  • Management is very good
  • Gym is a little small
  • Very close to campus
  • Management is responsive and helpful
  • Extremely convenient location
  • 5 minutes from bars, restaurants, and shops
  • Whole Foods is across the street
  • Underground parking is available
  • Transportation for all Kellogg events start from here
  • Lots of study rooms and communal social areas
  • Very social community
Filter reviews for
5
Average
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Trouble free but not the best option

The location is great. And it is convenient for study group meetings, with all study rooms and printings available indoor. However, the building is older than I expected. The overall facility is outdated and the management needs to keep up with needs of current students.

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  • Couple
  • Family w/ children
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
5
Average
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

On campus living

Could be better, but living at McManus is super convenient and cheaper than the other more popular Kellogg apartment buildings.

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  • Family w/ children
  • 2 beds / 1 bath
5
Average
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Many irregular inconveniences

We've had several interruptions to hot water and repeated fire alarm tests which have negatively impacted the living experience here.

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  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 1 bath
8
Great
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Campus Living

Definitely is the full-campus experience. A lot of international students live here but also couples and families. Has some great amenities and is very convenient to campus. There were some annoyances due to construction, alarms, turning of the hot water, etc. But is still probably the best value in the area.

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  • Family w/ children
  • 2 beds / 1 bath
10
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Ultimate Kellogg Experience!

Do you want to live close to campus, with lots of Kellogg fellow students and pay bellow average rent? That's McManus!
Downsides: the apartments and building are old and the floor is carpeted! Can be noisy due to the parties, but you are always invited!
Upsides: Social, price, location. Anda you can go to team meetings just taking the elevator!
Extra for internationals: no need for complicated guarantees, contracts, ssn, etc... The bill goes directly trough Northwestern portal ( where you pay tuition!)

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  • Couple
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
7
Good
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Simple Good Value

McManus is close to campus and a good value. If you don't need fancy amenities and can stand the interesting smells from the many types of food cooked in the building, its a great place.

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  • Family w/ children
  • 2 beds / 1 bath
5
Average
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Community/social benefit is the best part

While the facility is pretty old, it is acceptable and does offer the best benefit of being part of a true community as all residents are MBA students. If you are looking for things like having a dishwasher, garbage disposal in your sink, or an in-unit washer and dryer this is not the option for you. There is very large international presence in the building mainly because the rooms come fully furnished but as an American I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to become very close friends with many international classmates. As an added bonus you get to meet and spend time with all the exchange students since they always live in McManus. The one bedroom apartments are decently large with a lot of closet space as well as free storage units in the basement of the building. The other huge benefit is that you don't have to pay for the summer quarter so you are really only paying rent for 9 of the 12 months which is very important if you have an internship in another city during the summer. The proximity to campus is also very good as you can walk to campus in 7 minutes or bike in as little as 4 minutes. The study rooms in the building are also useful so you can have groups come to you for group projects which is super convenient (especially in the winter).

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

Great value for families

This place is seriously the best for families on a budget. This place has it all; study rooms, a playroom for the kids , hallways that smell of kimchi and curry. Like most things, you get what you pay for. The apartments are smaller and the amenities are fewer, but its the cheapest option available for folks looking for a two bedroom apartment. Ultimately, its only two years and you don't pay rent over the summer, which is pretty awesome.

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  • Family w/ children
  • 2 beds / 1 bath
1
Terrible
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Seriously not recommended!

Noises from inside and outside. No sunlight. Poor layout. Poor appliances. Very low value for money. Will move out from next year.

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  • 1 bed / 1 bath
3
Terrible
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Convenient but bad management

The location is convenient, the apartment is furnished and all utilities are paid, which are very convenient. But the building is old and the interior is not nice at all. What's worse is that there are loud fire-alarm testing that goes on for 8 hours continuously for an entire month. Also, they sometime suddenly stop providing hot water. Since the apartment is owned by the school, complaining does not do any good at all. No one will do anything about it. Service quality is poor.

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  • 1 bed / 1 bath

The Neighborhood

Signature Spots

dining 27 Recs

Buffalo Joe’s
Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza
Bat 17
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grocery 1 Rec

Whole Foods Market
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convenience 2 Recs

7-Eleven
Walgreens
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fitness 33 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 14 Recs

Andy’s Frozen Custard
Cupitol Coffee & Eatery
Peet’s Coffee & Tea
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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 McManus Living-Learning Center

Parking Garage

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Parking Near McManus Living-Learning Center

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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