The Capitol at Chelsea

My friend looked in this building. Views were nice, but appliances were very old and dingy.

Have you considered renting in a condo? You can get much better quality for the same price or a little more.

We used to live at 777 - across the street. Honestly, I just really hated the neighborhood. Beautiful bldgs but it's just so dingy 1 block up. It is very close to Madison Square Park though and easy access to whole foods so I say go for it if you like it. If you have kids I don't think the school is good unless you get into G & T . If you're planning on private then it doesn't matter.

Thanks for all the feedback! We really like the price of the 2br on the 31st floor (low 4k net effective, no broker fee), and are willing to tolerate the sketchy neighborhood and older appliances given what we feel to be competitive pricing. The other buildings nearby seemed nicer (Chelsea Tower, Archstone Chelsea), but were more in the high 4k range net effective. We do like the proximity to Madison Sq Park (Shake Shack), Whole Foods, Buy Buy Baby, Bed Bath and Beyond, and midtown (where I work).

We did look at condo's, but generally would be responsible for at least a partial broker fee and many owners weren't willing to get down into the low 4k range, (yet), for comparable apartments (doorman building, washer/dryer, gym, etc.).

We'll be sure to keep this discussion updated after our movein on March 1 and give our honest thoughts. All in a positive experience thus far, and doormen seem especially friendly.

Be careful I believe this is an 80/20 building which means that 20% of your neighbors will be subsidized and might not make for the best environment to live in

The building is not very well maintained, especially on week-ends in the spring and summer when the elevators are full of spilled drinks, etc. The heating/cooling units break down regularly, and every couple of months there is no hot water. The elevators are regularly out of commission. The doormen, though, are very pleasant and helpful, as is the maintenance staff, except for the resident manager.

This building appears to be overpriced to me. I would wait it out. You will be able to get a NICE 2bd for about 2k in a few months. Trust me. Just wait it out if you can.

Any more comments here? BPWeigland - how does what you paid compare to what is on their availability list currently out there?

I'm currently living in the building with my wife and son and am very happy. After I closed in the low 4k range (net effective) on the 32nd floor March 1, I have not seen anything advertised that beats the price Capitol had advertised at the time ($4,695). A good rule of thumb I found was to take 10% off list prices to get net effective including incentives. With the summer coming, it seems like demand for 2br's in Chelsea is tight, although it does look like there are a fair amount of 1BR's available in the building currently. Some of the newer buildings nearby have much nicer amenities (stainless steel, hardwood, etc.) but are asking about 10-20% more than the Capitol.

As for the building so far, management is solid and there when you need help, the elevators are reasonably quick (longest I've waited is about 2 min), and I don't see any spilled beverages, etc on the weekends yet. We have had one hot water outage, and a few days when the elevators were having work done and were noticeably slower. No issues with heating/cooling. The people who work here are very friendly, and for the most part the other tenants are friendly and respectful (we did have one bitter tenant complain about the noise during a boxing lesson in the gym, however). There is a good mix of families, singles, college students, etc. Of course, there are always some people who will never truly be happy unless the environment is perfect, but we've been able to easily roll with the punches thus far. In their defense, if I were locked in at last year's asking prices, I would also probably be annoyed/bitter with some of the minor hiccups mentioned in previous posts.

(An aside: On websites like these, one has to take all comments with a grain of salt. Read the comments on a website like TripAdvisor, and reviews for hotels like the Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, One and Only, etc. you'll see people complaining about the service and minor details...Some people enjoy being harsh reviewers and will find flaws in any situation, no matter how pristine.)

We've been extremely happy with the quality of living given the price I'm paying, which I believe to be fair for the time I had to move. We're especially happy with the location, it's extremely convenient for running errands (home depot, best buy, bed bath, etc), catching trains, and Madison Sq park is a big plus for the kid. Also, I would suggest being on a high floor, we're on 32 facing south and west and it's perfectly quiet at night. Gym is awesome (stacked with every workout prop imaginable) and in-building storage is a nice plus as well. Could I get a better deal subletting or waiting an additional 6 months? Probably, but I was not willing to deal with brokerage fees, lack of doorman/gym, etc, and also had to move immediately.

Hope this feedback is helpful.

this area sucks.. 6th ave is lame as you go through the rental canyon between 23rd and 28th. traffic on 6th is ridiculous. go one block west and youre in wholesale market hell. it's dangerous too at night on broadway.

The building is mediocre. It is indeed an 80/20 building, and as a result it gets really rowdy and disruptive. There have been several fist fights in the lobby on weekend nights, and cops were called in to restore order.

Moreover, that entire area is extremely grimy, crowded, and undesirable. At night, it gets dangerous as well.

I don't live there, but it doesn't get dangerous at night. If it did, there would be more casualties at Stella Adler.

For what it's worth, I've lived at the Capitol since May 2008 and just signed a new one year lease. My old rent was $3,100 for a mid-floor 1BR and I negotiated the new rent down to $2,800.

To address some of the comments and questions raised above:
- doormen: very nice and always helpful. Getting maintenance to come fix stuff is quick and the valet service is easy and convenient
- cleanliness of halls and elevators: I'd give it a B-. There are definitely issues sometimes, but they are generally resolved fairly quickly
- heat/cooling issues: haven't experienced any, so no complaints there
- hot water: one serious outage over the course of a year that inconvenienced me and a few others that were no big deal
- neighborhood: walk up a few blocks and it is shady, but being a block away from Whole Foods, a block away from Mad Sq. Park, and a few blocks away from every train is tough to beat. It's not the most exciting neighborhood, but I don't mind it. Have had no issues with crime, but there's no question that you're close to the worst part of Broadway (although the ACE Hotel opening there may ameliorate that a bit)
- appliances: they don't seem that outdated to me, but I don't cook much. They certainly get the job done
- gym: serves my needs perfectly. Wish there were a few more treadmills sometimes
- roofdeck: amazing, I love coming up there in the summer and you're not going to get reprimanded for throwing the occasional party like you would be at some other places
- noise: I have south exposure and can definitely hear some noise off 6th ave, but it's not too bad. I'm *amazed* by how good the room-to-room sound isolation is. I have literally never heard a single sound coming from a neighbor's apartment in a year of living there, although I do hear it when people mingle in the hallway or play with their dogs

Overall, I'd give the building a B on its own and a B+/A- for the value. I could not find a similar one bedroom at an equivalent price point in nearby buildings like Archstone, 777, and the Caroline. Sure, the Capitol is not as nice as those buildings but I didn't think the upgrade was worth the cost.

I've lived here for a while. Overall it's a nice building and the doormen are really great. However, there are some things that need to be noted.
1. The hot water has stopped working several times this year. It will just not work for hours straight. It's extremely frustrating and inconvenient (imagine working out before a big morning meeting and the water being ice ice cold).
2. The heaters make tons of noise. They click and crackle as of it's a pre-war building.
3. The gym is nice and big but the equipment is banged up. The water fountain hasn't worked for close to two years!!

Do not move in here. The building is and will be under serious renovations for over a year (I.e. until 2020). Average wait time for an elevator, even during off peak hours is about 7 minutes. They are re-doing all the hallways (which now look like a holiday inn), the roof deck is not accessible for all of 2018, and the overall communication for all of the renovations is extremely poor. Your rent will include all the amenities that you won’t have access to. I would highly suggest you look elsewhere. There are 5 other, much better buildings nearby.