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
8
Great
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

great, super underrated property smack in the middle of downtown

Apartments in this building are super spacious especially at a low price point. It is right in the middle of downtown - less than 1 min from Target, 3 min from Whole Foods, 7min from Trader Joe's etc. Lots of really friendly neighbours. Since it is a condo and not an apartment building not a ton of Kellogg students. Fantastic apartment with lakeviews at a low price point.

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

Great Value Apt, with the best location

The apartements are pretty spacious compared to other Kellogg apts. The location is unbeatable, very close to Albion, Centrum and Evanston Place, as well as Target and Whole Foods.

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  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
7
Good
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Great value, spacious but maintenance needs work

We got great value for the amount of space we have, heating is great. However, after staying here for 3 months we already experienced a lift breakdown, two occasions of hot water being down and a problem with the flush in one of the bathrooms. Could be due to issues caused by the cold weather last year though.
Location-wise, it's further from school/E2 but near to pubs like Whiskey Thief, Evanston Pub, Target and McManus

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

No frills, but gets the job done

Large apartment with nice views. There is no common area or study rooms, and the gym is bare bones. But all in all it's a solid, affordable condo building that is super conveniently located. You really can't beat the location, especially if proximity to the L and the Metra are important to you.

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

Affordable

Well priced and lot of space

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

Central location, lots of space

The Optima Tower apartments are located in the middle of downtown Evanston and offer plenty of space. Not as many Kellogg students live here as I would have expected. The residents skew older (retirees). The building is 15–20 years old and is beginning to show its age.

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  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
6
Good
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Lots of space, but older unit and cumbersome rental process

Pros:
- quiet building
- very spacious
- in-unit laundry
- gas stove, which is covered in rent
- heated parking garage
- property management company is responsive
- expensive (but everywhere in Evanston is)
- pool and hot tub in building
- my roommate is awesome

Cons:
- older building - had to get our dishwasher replaced after one week
- gym in building but it's very small (only 4 cardio machines and one weight station)
- no security/management on site to deal with issues (e.g. someone parked in my spot and it took 2 days to get someone to move that car)
- process to finalize the lease was very, very cumbersome and required a lot of documentation and paperwork

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  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 3 baths
6
Good
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social
Safety

Great location but building could be better

Location is right in the middle of downtown Evanston but the building itself doesn't have much. Depending on the owner, you could also have good or bad experiences.

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  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
9
Excellent
Overall score
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The Best Optima is the Smallest Optima

Optima Towers is the perfect place to live if you want to balance out living in a building with some Kellogg classmates while avoiding the over-stimulation of E2. The location is smack in the heart of downtown at Sherman and Davis, which makes it perfect for dinner and drink spots in Evanston. You're also half a block from the Davis L and Metra stops, so you can get to downtown Chicago extremely easily. Only downside of the location is you'll have one more block to walk to the Global Hub than people living a little further north. That said, you're only one block from the Northwestern Intercampus Shuttle pickup at Chicago and Davis, so if one block is a deal breaker, you can always take the bus.

I have a one-bedroom unit that's over 1,000sq feet and features TWO walk-in closets. Apartments here are very spacious. The kitchen appliances are modern and feature gas ranges, but they aren't ultra-modern or brand new (I think they're from late 2000s when the building went up).

The building has a miniature gym with two treadmills, an elliptical, a bike, free weights, and one weight machine. If you don't need a big gym setup and want a place for a quick workout in the frigid winter, this is good enough.

The building has a poorly placed pool and hot tub that you never will use unless you have young children.

Majority of other tenants are older couples, but there are about ~10 Kellogg students in the building as well.

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

VERY Spacious Apartment, Fully Furnished, Ideal for 1Ys

Right in the heart of downtown, best location possible in Evanston (near Davis St. train station, near all restaurants and bars). Apartment is very spacious, well furnished, and comfortable. Building is mediocre (few amenities, gym is old and small, the 'pool' is absurdly small).

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  • Roommates
  • 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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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 Towers

Parking Garage

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Parking Near Optima Towers

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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