I am highly allergic to mold, and I chose 1500 Locust because Wharton students told me it would be the cleanest, most recently renovated place to live. (Older buildings are problematic for me; they are more likely to contain mold due to leaky pipes, rotting wood, or damp surfaces beneath floors and above ceilings.) I love my apartment. It was renovated just before my move-in date with modern kitchen appliances (i.e. stainless steel fridge), new carpets, and finished wood floors. Most units in this building are completely carpeted (aside from the tiled kitchen and bathroom), but luckily my apartment has a wood floor living room. Wood is a safer option for me than carpet, due to my allergies, but I also haven't had any trouble with the carpet in my bedroom. The gym is convenient and includes a spectacular view of Philadelphia skyscrapers. The downside to this building is that there are only 3 elevators (+ 1 service elevator) covering over 40 floors. Elevator wait times are very long, and this year at least one elevator has been out of operation ~50% of the time. It is frustrating, and everyone complains, but I would not move out of the building solely due to long elevator waits.

Clean, conveniently located building with good amenities and a large Wharton population. The 21 bus starts picking up people here so you can always get a seat before the crowds of other students swarm on at 18th. On the other hand, a 40+ minute walk from school. I also have a south facing bedroom with a spectacular view of everything from the Kimmel center to the stadiums at the south end of Philly. And the library is convenient for learning team meetings. On the con side - some of the nicer touches (free cookies in the morning, umbrellas when it rains, and doormen letting you in before you can pull out your wallet) have disappeared during the two years I have lived here, and there are some disadvantages of living in such a large building - such as when the weather is warm you have to stake out spots on the roof deck early in the evening. Also, the elevators were sabotaged by a disgruntled tenant a few months ago so they go under repair often, which means that occasionally there are long wait times.

1500 Locust is a high-rise building occupied by young families, retirees, young professionals, lots of health care types and plenty of Wharton students. Its major strengths are the location- a balance between being near Rittenhouse Square but not too far from Broad and 13th Street's offerings- and its amenities -notably the recently renovated rooftop outdoor space, lounge, gym, pool and hot tub. Regarding transportation, it's easy to catch a cab right outside and if you take the bus to school, it's never filled, as it often is by the time it approaches campus. The main disadvantages are the older units and the elevators. To the former point, my unit has appliances, fixtures and cabinetry from the (early?) 1990s that are not of very high quality. Although the building is slowly renovating kitchens, they charge more for these units. As for the latter issue, ever since November 2012, the elevators have been chronically malfunctioning and one or more (they have three plus a service elevator) are out of order. This can mean 10+ minute waits or even in several instances, taking the stairs. The management recently said they were assigned a more senior technician from the the elevator manufacturer, but the results of this aren't yet clear.

The actual apartments at 1500 Locust are nice, comfortable and big. However, the building staff are rude and not helpful. The elevators are always broken. The management company seems pretty crooked -- they overcharge, don't respond to people's requests and are difficult to work with. I would however still recommend living at 1500 if you want full-time doorman, gym, etc. because there are only a few options in Philly.

Pros: Many Wharton students and excellent amenities. Cons: Studios are pretty dark and relatively small. Average price-quality ratio.

Wonderful amenities- roof, study lounge, pool, gym. Many Wharton students always people to hang out or study with.

Great building. Good community feel with large number of Wharton students, though there are not a lot of 1500 Wharton events I see people I know all the time in the elevators. It makes meeting for cabs in the morning easy. Good ammenities (gym and pool are relatively good). Outside of a bench press, the gym has most things need. Common area on the roof great for hosting parties (i.e. Wharton Wine Club social held there every year). Rooftop has bene utilized for parties as well in early Fall and late Spring when weather good. Usually pretty close to night life on weekends. Negatives are the elevators break down a lot. There are four elevators for 30 floors and when two break down it leads to long delays. Second negative is that 15 and Locust is at the farther end of places where Wharton students live. Takes solid 30 minutes to walk to campus. That said if you get on the bus on 16th or 15th it is usually open which is not true sometimes for students who live at 21-23 at peak times.

- Amenities (gym, lounge, sun deck) are awesome - Studio apartments here are large, but don't have much of a view and little sunlight (main drawback) - Also more expensive than a lot of other options in the city

1500 Locust is nice, with good amenities, including pool, gym, lounge, and roof deck. Many apts have great views. The lobby is bright and recently renovated. On the downside, however, prices are high. Though some apartments are spacious and recently renovated, the finishes are adequate but not spectacular. Finally, the location is very convenient for Philly, generally, but is farther (East) from Penn than most other popular buildings.

The building is a little old, but apartments are refurbished. Elevators have problems but problem is being solved.