Justin H.
Yelp
I have been at the Madelon for nearly 6 months. Like anywhere it has its pros and cons. The sad thing is that it feels like it could (and should) be so much better than it is.
The good: the building is pretty and while most buildings are going modern, the Madelon has a more traditional aesthetic that fits the neighborhood and feels quite homey. The neighborhood is awesome, a lot of bars and restaurants within easy walking distance and several grocery stores within a few blocks (Gus's, Safeway, etc). Generally the building is relatively quiet. I can occasionally hear a neighbor stomping around above me, but not much else. Maintenance staff have been responsive and friendly and the night concierge staff are friendly and helpful as well. The building does a good job of hosting events for residents, though they are usually poorly attended. While most people keep to themselves, the neighbors I have met seem friendly.
The bad: there are a LOT of false fire alarms. I don't know whether my neighbors just don't understand how fire alarms work or if there's some issue with the buildings system but it's probably the worst thing about living at the Madelon, certainly the most aggravating. Another negative, at least for those on the 2nd floor where the courtyard is, there are so, so many spiders. Like an infestation of spiders. The building's package system is not great and often packages will get stored in a back room without any sort of notification. The building lacks AC. For the price point and in the warmest neighborhood in the city, the lack of AC isn't great. I am south facing and on colder days my apartment typically hovers around 75 degrees during the day, with the windows open, around 80 degrees on warmer days. In my first few months here, smoke from a restaurant nearby was suffocating and made it even more difficult to open windows. That problem thankfully resolved itself because the restaurant recently closed. The building doesn't really have much in the way of amenities compared to similarly priced buildings. There's a gym, a rooftop, bike storage and a few cute sitting areas. No hot tub, no pool, no game room, etc.