Helix & Ellipse Apartments

I was a lessee for a year at the Ellipse apartment in Seattle. We watched two individuals shooting heroine in the alley as we moved in, and routinely witnessed similar drug use and dealings outside the garage.
Security is NONEXISTENT. I complained that the alley lighting was out twice, it took months to see any action. Our car was one of two broken into during broad daylight in a «secure» «monitored» parking garage where we paid a premium for reserved space. When asked why there are NO security cameras on the property, I was stunned by the excuse that there is a liability issue: if someone is raped there are privacy issues if someone sees it on video. Only the stairwell from the reserved garage is key controlled. The elevators are not secure, anyone accessing the garage from the alley (which EVERY resident has access to and regularly uses to go in and out of the building, especially when going to UW, the bars, or grocery store) has full access to the facility. Homeless and drug addicts routinely ‘tried’ the doors to see if they could gain access.
While the office and maintenance staffs are friendly, we have moved to a comparable apartment that does have security cameras and key controlled elevators and stairwells in a much less seedy neighborhood with more square footage at a lower cost. There is an arrogance with some of the office staff at Helix/​Ellipse that I found immature and undeserved.
The rent for our one bedroom apartment plus parking was comparable to a mortgage payment on a $ 250,000 home loan, and JUMPS annually. That said, in the University District Helix/​Ellipse is conveniently located, but I find the lack of security, especially for the premium paid, a serious concern.

The experience I had at this place in one word would be TERRIBLE. The maintenance man was quite rude and obnoxious, not only did he enter my temporary establishment after the time of agreement but also never properly fixed anything. The whole year I lived there he failed to fix the sliding closet door and unclog the drain for my kitchen sink and bathtub. He isn’t very good at his job as he doesn’t fix anything, rather make excuses.
Not only is the maintenance man rude the two lady receptionist in the main lobby are very rude, they rarely greet you upon walking into the office, and they almost ignore your presence. They may seem nice at first but, never judge a book by its cover. The only one that made the experience enjoyable is the skinny lady/​manager in the office. She was kind and very attentive to residents at all times.
The only reason this review is a 2 star rather than a 1 star is because of her. But also because the location is quite convenient as it is across the street from «unSafeway» and 1 bus away from the campus.
I do not recommend living here unless you enjoy constant stress and rude employment, overcharged utilities and high rent. This is by far one of the worst experiences I had in living at an apartment complex.
Enter at your own risk.

Ellipse was a last resort when it came to finding an apartment to live in for the year.
REALLY expensive. $ 1500 for a one bedroom 650 sq. ft. apartment and this is not including utilities. Expect to pay around $ 100 a person per month for electric and water.
Maintenance man is so obnoxious, and cocky — he can’t even do his job without blabbing about himself. Tip — dude you unclog toilets for a living, STFU. Oh we also had this closet where the doors would always fall off the hinges and even after complaining to the office 14 times, it’s STILL broken.
And any requests to fix something broken in the place takes about 1.5 weeks to get completed.
Leasing office people — the two ladies; Jennifer and whoever-​her-​name-​is ARE VERY RUDE. They’re nice at the beginning but then get annoyed of your presence later in the year. They ignore residence, are bipolar and their personality depends on the day. The only nice person that actually knows what customer service is, is the red headed lady that has in the office.
One time they entered my apartment outside the requested time without my permission while I was at school and then complained when my dog bit the maintenance guy… Well don’t break and enter and my chihuahua wouldn’t have to bite you.
Not giving this place a 2 star because it actually has a security system and night security. And it’s conveniently located to the school, grocery store, the Ave, bank, and the bus stop.

My wife and I lived at Helix for 3 years and we couldn’t have picked a better place to live in. My office was in South Lake Union and the commute was just perfect. It is super convenient — Safeway, Walgreen’s, Trader Joe’s, YMCA, great restaurants and bars on University Ave, bus stops to downtown as well as East Side — all within 5 to 10 minutes walking distances.
And most importantly, the management team is super friendly and always eager to go out of their way to help you out. Everyone in the office made us feel like part of one big happy family. I would highly recommend this place to anyone and everyone wanting to stay within a 5 mile radius of downtown Seattle.

I’ve been living in the Helix for two years now and like it a lot. I’ll list the good points and the points that some may not like.
Good points:
Very nice apartment with washer/​dryer in-​unit, dishwasher, great kitchen. Nice size (over 700 sq foot for this one bedroom), BIG water tank in the bathroom means you can have a nice long hot shower.
Rooftop deck – I don’t hang out here a lot, but it’s very nice, and you can see the fireworks from Gasworks Park, which was a great bonus on the Fourth of July. (Why wade through a crowd or traffic when you can just go upstairs?)
Neighbors – Nice people but like Seattle itself, everyone mostly keeps to themselves. It’s not a noisy building though, which is nice.
Very Accessible to Neighborhood – You’re 20 feet from the Walgreens, one block from Safeway, two blocks from Trader Joe’s, Ten blocks from the Whole Foods. Short walk to «the Ave» and everything on it, the Farmers Market, the public library, and four (!) movie theaters. There is a delish Japanese restaurant 20 feet down the street. (There’s also the vegan café downstairs. Great cider!) Also, the YMCA is across the street, which makes it difficult to give yourself an excuse to not work out…
Very Accessible to busses – You have the stops for the 66, 67, 30, 49, 43, 44, 48, and 71 – 73 all a short walk away, so going down to downtown, Wallingford, Capital Hill, Fremont, and Ballard are all pretty easy. I don’t have a car, and don’t need one in this location.
Accessible to UW Campus – It’s just a 10 – 15 minute walk to the Law School/​Humanities side of the campus. (I work close to there.)
Allows pets – cats and small dogs (up to 60lbs, I think…) There are a lot of pet-​owners in the building.
Friendly staff – overall my experience with the staff has been really good – very friendly people. I’ve lived in four places since I moved to Seattle ten years ago, and this is the only apartment building that throws parties for the tenants. (Christmas party, Halloween, etc.) Only once did a repair job take longer than expected. Overall, very satisfied.
Free rent – when I signed on, I got a free month of rent, so you should ask about that feature. It was handy, although it all kind of sorts out when you price in your security deposit, etc, but still, you save a little money.
Points to think about:
Price: It’s not the most expensive place in the U-​District. I think places like the Lord of the Rings buildings (Lothlorian, Rivendell), Travagne (sp?) on 11^th, the Kennedy building, and some others are more expensive (and maybe around the same price for some units.) It’s not a cheap U-​District studio though. It’s a clean, safe building with in-​unit amenities, so it is more expensive then a lot of the buildings in the neighborhood. If you’re looking for an apartment that’s less than $ 1,000/$ 1,100, this is not the building for you. (Maybe they have studios though. Unsure…) You may be able to split a two bedroom for $ 600-​$ 800 each, but I know that’s a lot, so think about what’s in your budget when looking into it. I love the building, but I would not have moved here on my humanities grad student budget.
Pet rent – Not a lot of buildings in the U District allow pets, especially dogs. This one does, but to do so, they charge a monthly $ 25 pet rent on top of your rent. The good points outweigh the bad for me, so I fork it over to keep my diva cat sheltered.
Neighborhood noise – It’s the U District, so sometimes that means it’s noisy as people meander from party to party or bar to bar. I used to live at 15^th and 55^th, and there were more late night fights in that section. I don’t see that here in the «middle» of the district. 12^th Ave and 50^th is overall a pretty safe corner. The building is also secure, which is nice. I have not heard of any apartment break-​ins in the two years that I have been here, which is nice.
View – My view is the building next door and all their apartments. So, I don’t spend a lot of time looking out the window. I think they’re on a different grid, because one time, our lights went out, but their lights did not, so I got to see them watching TV while I was in the dark. That’s a city issue though, not the building. I just thought it was funny.
Overall, my plan is to stay if rents stay stable. The space is nice, I heart my big water tank, and love-​love-​love the easy access to stores, busses, the library, etc. The staff are really nice, and it’s a safe building. My first place in Seattle was a very not-​safe shared house, so this place feels great.

Been living here for over a month now. You cant find a more convenient location. It’s right by the grocery store, pharmacy and bus routes. The staff is nice and responsive.