The Louisa Apartments

This is a fantastic building and a great location. The staff are easy to work with and always willing to please their tenants, guests and vendors. I’d recommend this building to anyone looking for a positive feeling. Thanks for all that you do, it’s truly appreciated.

I don’t live here, but every time I have gone to visit friends — it is exceptional. Clean, well mannered personnel. You can’t really complain… if you can afford the rent.

Where do I begin. We absolutely enjoyed every minute we lived at The Louisa. We lived there for over a year and would stay longer if jobs didn’t take us out of Portland.
From the beginning we worked with Jeff to find a place. Having looked at nearly every complex worth living at in both the Pearl and NW 23^rd area, we have met a LOT of leasing agents. Well, Jeff stands out. He truly cares about people when they walk through that door and he follows up when he says he will. With so many great layouts, Jeff listened and helped us find the perfect layout. We have never had that kind of genuine assistance, which really helped sell us from the beginning.
Secondly, the building itself is in great location and obvious selling point. We were across the street from Whole Foods, many great restaurants and breweries close by and a few steps from the Streetcar, bus lines and a few blocks from the Max. In addition, the building is very central, which makes it easy to get downtown, to NW 23 or across the bridge to the Eastside.
Thirdly, we loved the layouts. We stayed in a unit that was a 1 bedroom, but also had a nook in the front, which doubled as an office and a spare room for guests. After looking at many places the layouts at the Louisa were superior and great for hosting.
Last, but not least, the other staff also make this a great place to live. Jeff is awesome and fortunately the rest of the team is too – Manager (Kristi), the Concierge staff (Berdine, Billy, and the list goes on), as well as Maintenance (David)!
The only downside to the building is that it doesn’t have an on-​site gym, but that isn’t a deal breaker, because there is a 24 Hour Fitness and LA Fitness within a short distance.

Living at the Louisa, can it get any better?
From the moment you walk into the building you realize that this will be more than just your new home, it will be an experience.
Having lived around the world, flashy details about a building are usually redundant and the first to be forgotten. At the Louisa, my current home, the cleanliness, the courteous staff, and the friendly neighbors are what make this such a welcoming place.
From the leasing and management officers, the concierge crew, to the maintenance and custodial staff, every interaction I have had in this building has been first class.
As with most companies, the glue that holds everything together comes down to the people involved in the day to day operations; whoever is doing the hiring here is doing it right.
And the location? Well, the location speaks for itself… Powell’s is a block away, Whole Foods is around the corner, 3 coffee shops within a 2 block radius, and a 5 minute walk to a myriad of Portland’s finest restaurants and bars. It doesn’t get any better in Portland.
Most importantly, for us music lovers, the sound insulation in the apartments is the best I have ever experienced (please speak with your neighbors first though…).
So, can it get any better?
A jacuzzi and a dry sauna would be nice, but now I’m just nit-​picking…

My partner and I have lived at The Louisa for the past couple years and have absolutely loved our time here. In fact, this is our favorite building and unit we’ve lived in.
The staff is fantastic and responsive, from the managers to the concierges.
As other reviewers note, the location is perfect. Not just in the Pearl, but the densest part with easy walking access to downtown. The units themselves are modern, well designed to maximize space, and offer more closet space than average. The gorgeous courtyard on the south side allows breathing space between the balconies and adjacent building. The three elevators are fast and spacious — an important amenity for large buildings.
The lobby design feels a bit Alice in Wonderland but in a «welcome to Portland» kind of way. Love and embrace it, I say. You couldn’t get away with this in Omaha.
I have to stretch to think of a downside. The only potential challenge comes from being one of the few all apartment buildings in this area. There’s resident turnover which means some don’t seem invested in their neighbors. Not a problem, just a vibe that’s different if you’re used to a condo.
If you love the Pearl district, you’ll probably love The Louisa.

I have lived at the Louisa since November 2014 and I absolutely LOVE it! I wanted a to find a place that met my priorities which include location and community.
Obviously, the location at the Louisa is amazing and it really doesn’t require an explanation. Like, I don’t think I need to mention how awesome it is to live across the street from Whole Foods, or a block away from Powell’s. I am sure I also don’t need to mention the convenience of the streetcar or the fact that Lululemon is downstairs and they provide complimentary yoga on Sunday mornings.
As for community, the has a common outdoor and indoor areas, which is where you can find the fabulous and popular coffee machine, (brewing a variety of coffee drinks with Peet’s coffee). It seems silly but, yes; the coffee machine does make me love this place even more. Anyway, I have gotten to know many neighbors in this space and through mixers which are hosted by the Louisa. It is so nice to live in a place where people smile and remember each other’s names.
Also noteworthy, is that this place is totally pet friendly! My dog means the world to me and it’s important to feel that she is welcome. The culture at the Louisa is very pet friendly and at the same time responsible. It also doesn’t hurt that they provide courtesy dog treats at the front door.

«Meh. I’ve experienced better» for the 2 stars is the perfect description. The best part about the place was the 3 people who worked the door (Ricky, Billy, and Kayla) as concierge that is one of the stars, the other is for the location which is amazing.
Other than that the place was sort of a nightmare, NO ONE ever picks up the phone, I have been trying to call to find a package amazon accidentally shipped there for a week during «regular business hours» as they say on their phone system. It is sort of ridiculous considering its 16 stories of apartments, and I can’t get anyone on the phone.
The lobby was nice when I first moved in, until they let some nutcase designer go buck wild on it and as one of my neighbors so eloquently put it now looks like «Marilyn Manson and Liberace had a baby in our lobby» with pink fur, hanging metal chains, and giant paintings of deer framed in gothic gold style.
If you hate money, this is a great place to live, mostly for the location, but since I just purchased a house in the NE (3br/​2ba) which is really nice and my mortgage is HALF the price of my 1br apartment at the Loiusa, I have since realized that this place is only ideal for corporate housing, or passing through.
I would look elsewhere, unless like I said, you’re one of those people who hates money…

We’re in our fourth month at the Louisa. Excellent management, friendly staff, lively community, superb building. If there were problems with any of these things, they must have been resolved before we got here. This is the third building we’ve rented in in downtown Portland. They’ve all had their charms, but this is the one we’ll call home for the long run.

We read the other reviews. What?!?
Our experience here is an exceptional one. From the moment of move-​in, through booking our family in the amazingly awesome guest suite for a huge party, to the wonderful terrace, BBQ’s, refreshments on the house and an incredible and extremely thoughtful staff, we think anyone not living here at The Louisa in the Brewery Block District is missing out! Thank you concierge, thank you Eric and Jeff. Thank you David. You all make living here one of our best rental experiences ever!
Tom & Sheri

I am here for a short term assignment. A nice spacious, comfortable apartment in a very central location. I am very happy here. Management and staff seem very nice. The one bad thing is the terrible comcast WiFi. It makes skyping home a difficult experience

I live at the Louisa. Besides a fabulous location, the management and staff in the building are splendid. Management is responsive to problems, communicates effectively and deals with any issues. The fact is that there are very few issues because the building is maintained as well as it is. For those who love amenities like coffee, cleaning pick up and flowers in the hall, that’s all here. For those who want a spotless, well-​maintained, quiet place to live, it’s great.
Would that everyone who lived here thought of the Louisa as their home rather than splendid hotel. That way there might be a greater sense of loyalty and community and consideration. Management is loyal, considerate and concerned.

Having lived in the Louisa for a couple year, I find it centered in Portland and everything good about it. The apartments are kept very clean, people are respectful, my electric is about $ 20 a month in this LEED bldg, and management is very good at working with everyone. There is a concierge that makes thing work well in this Brewery Blocks bldg.

The Louisa was once a very nice building, but unfortunately it went drastically downhill, and the residents have lost the sense of community that once existed. Many of the long-​term residents have left, and almost all of the long-​term employees are gone now as well. Part of the problem is the number of corporate short-​term apartments in the building, because they often don’t respect the community rules. For example, there were lots of problems with smoking (even though the entire property is supposed to be smoke-​free) and some residents have had severe smoke infiltration in their units. Most of the problem stems from poor management though — there was a definite downturn when Kristin left and Stephanie took over. I understand they recently (in 2012) hired a new manager, so hopefully some of this will turn around, though it’s unlikely since I think the building is owned by JP Morgan Chase Bank and managed by the huge, Texas-​based Riverstone. What a shame.
I suggest if you are considering moving in, at least get them to put in writing what your utility bills will be. Also, you should carefully inspect your unit, ours had some severe problems. They claim to be a Gold LEED building, and told us our electric bill should average about $ 30 — but we had several well over $ 100, and as high as over $ 300 (and in our new apartment, it looks like we may well average around $ 30 — we’ve not had a single bill near $ 100). I’m not sure how they meter the electric, because maintenance didn’t even know where the meters were, but honestly I wasn’t surprised by the high bill because on a cold day, our heater would run non-​stop, but the apartment would keep getting colder. We measured a temperature in one corner in the low 40s! When we complained, maintenance investigated and found at least one problem: a complete lack of insulation in one of the walls. But, after they got the estimate to fix it, they decided not to spend the money.
When they tired of our complaints, they attempted a «no-​cause eviction» but ultimately wound up waiving several months’ rent and utilites and paying us almost $ 4000 in cash to move out, which we then happily did. But the whole ordeal was very stressful, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. The city eventually cited them for a code violation, but I am not sure how it resolved. They probably wriggled their way out of it, and now some poor sucker is in for a nasty surprise next winter. We are much happier now.