The Wellington

I absolutely love the apartment and the building. It is extremely upscale for the price. My only complaints are that the elevator frequently breaks and the gym is not in the building, it's down the street.

Old building, but very friendly staff!!

Overall great building with very friendly and responsive onsite staff. Great location. Our unit was fully renovated prior to move in. Management company is a bit difficult to work with. Road noise is loud on lower floors.

Great value for ~830sf, doorman, in-unit laundry. Amazing location right on Rittenhouse Square. They’re constantly investing in the building — they’ve redone the hallways since I got here and are currently converting the front entryway to automatic sliding doors. Staff is extremely friendly and make you feel like family.

Downside: Only a few Wharton students, so less social than other buildings. Limited amenities aside from the amazing doorman operation and front desk.

The Wellington

Some units have laundry

Pros: great location, friendly staff
Cons: no amenities, building is old

Staff at the building are super friendly, and 24H doorman is super convenient with picking up packages.

Building is pretty quiet since there's a mix of older people and students. Super great location since it's right on Rittenhouse.

The major con is that there's construction next door (across from the church on Rittenhouse on Chestnut St.), which is pretty loud in the early morning and definitely violates the city's noise ordinance.

Older building but well-maintained.

Keep an eye out for apartments that have central heating/AC - not all apartments have it.

No pest problems, feels very safe.

I don't have in-unit washer/dryer, but there are card-based machines in the basement that are clean, and I've never had a problem finding an open machine to do laundry.

Great value for an apartment!

The Wellington's an excellent mid-range choice (for those aghast at the $2000+ rents offered at the top-tier). Students coming from Manhattan, SF, Cambridge, etc. may be pleasantly surprised, whereas students looking for luxury will be disappointed. There are a probably three dozen or so Wharton MBA students living here at any given time in a normal year.

Price aside, the location is ideal, right along the edge of Rittenhouse Square, smack in the middle of the dining, retail, and recreation activity of this side of Center City. Commuting to Wharton could not be easier: buses stop a few yards from the entrance and travel directly along Walnut to the campus (rideshares take the same route) and the trolley--the most reliable option--stops two blocks away at 19th and Market. Crucially, Target is two short blocks away; Rittenhouse Market and Trader Joe's are reasonably close as well.

One noticeable negative is that the views on one side of the building are straight across an alley into an adjacent office building. Take note as you tour units. This didn't bother me much, but don't expect a park view from most units.

The building itself is a pretty pre-war masonry structure with an elegant lobby and a charming crew of doormen/doorwomen. The units are somewhat basic by Wharton standards, but the space to price ratio was just about the best I found in my search. The appliances (oven, gas stove, fridge) and cabinetry are outdated, but they're not terribly ugly, and the floorplans are quite efficient (ie rectangular, with few twists and turns), so the units can feel like a lot more space than the square footage might lead you to assume. Upkeep is good and the maintenance staff are generally helpful. Walls muffle conversation effectively--I could always hear the intro music to the sitcom's my neighbor watches, but never voices. Heating and air conditioning is centralized with limited individual settings, but it is adequate. Shower is okay but water temperature can be iffy outside of morning hours.

Laundry in basement; uses debit card system. Storage cages available in the basement. Bike storage can be found across the alley in the parking garage; theft is a risk so get tough locks. I can't remember but I think there are gym admitting privileges at a nearby building.

Note: this building has been owned by Allan Domb for just a few years, so reviews 5+ years old may be irrelevant. My best guess is that apartments will be improved further over time in order to command higher rents.