The Argonne

Current Resident 1413351

Verified Resident • 2010 - 2026

Mixed. I love my apartment, but the management team is not always responsive. To me the apartment size, amenities and location make it worth it even though the maintenance and management are not ideal.

Current Resident 1412420

Verified Resident • 2023 - 2026

Argonne Apartments is a great place to live. It is close to bus routes that take me all over DC. The staff is helpful and courteous. The building is dog-friendly. The amenities are welcome and well kept-up, e.g. the gym equipment is brand new. Having the utilities included in the rent is really convenient and predictable. And we have a pool.

Current Resident 1407560

Verified Resident • 2010 - 2026

Many nice amenities. Could be a great community Many problems due to the lack of tenant screenings and the number of vouchered tenants. Walk around the building once or twice, and you'll see the issues.

Current Resident 1404291

Verified Resident • 2017 - 2026

I've been at my residence since 2017. I never had any problems with the leasing office until the new staff took over it's hard to get a call back when you have an issue. You have to call multiple times and there's also lack of communication. When is the issue on their end unacceptable.

Current Resident 1403240

Verified Resident • 2020 - 2026

The building is great. Staff is as helpful as they can be, but some of the procedures particularly institutional fines could be conducted in a way that is fair to residents by giving them the opportunity to correct issues BEFORE fines are issued. Some practices seem unfair to residents

Current Resident 1398807

Verified Resident • 2025 - 2026

I have really enjoyed my studio at The Argonne but I recognize it is an older building. There are creaks and moans and leaks where I did not have those before in a newer building. There have been growing pains in me getting used to those differences. For example, the entire building is on heat for the winter, and if the heat goes out, or needs repair, my heat gets turned off. Whereas in a newer building those systems were on smaller circuits. But I have had more communication with the building team, and the front desk team, in the few months I've been here, then the over a decade I had at my old luxury apartment. And I would absolutely make the decision to move here again if given the chance. It's nice to be greeted, to have regular email updates, to meet your neighbors. It's a wonderful building and neighborhood.

Current Resident 139301

Resident • 2021 - 2023

Cheap for a reason

The Argonne is a huge mess. We lived here for 2 years and the building management shifted about 3-4 times in that period. This means that issues are not thoroughly carried through and that they don't take accountability for past grievances and just place the fault on the previous management office. The apartment has great amenities (pool, small gym, dog park, the view from the back) and a diverse, fun community. However, the walls and structure of the building are OLD and you hear EVERYTHING across the walls. DO NOT LIVE IN APARTMENT 615: the tenants next to the bedroom would very frequently wake us up between 1am and 6am which is exacerbated by the poor quality of the very thin walls (sounds like they're yelling right next to your bed). Management was never helpful in helping resolve the issue. We have friends in at least 4 other apartments at the Argonne who suffer from the same noise issue and are miserable, sleep deprived, and want to move out. This is in addition to the fact that multiple units reported black mold which is simply painted over by management when asked to deal with the problem. Other issues included at least 2 incidents of bikes being stolen in the bike room and a cockroach infestation. So the Argonne is great if you're lucky with the unit you choose. Other friends in the Argonne have not reported such issues. Just don't select 615.

Current Resident 433708

Resident • 2021 - 2023

Thanking Richard Williams for his assistance with my paperwork

Richard was very patient with me and helped me with getting documents I needed faxed to the dmv. He is respectful and professional. The staff at the Argonne are very helpful and considerate. Kudos to Mr Francis also for always knowing all the answers to all my questions.

RajitS

Resident • 2018 - 2021

Units are overall fairly large, but have little or no closet space. The walls and ceilings are thin, so you can hear everything going on in every adjacent unit. White noise machines help a little, but cannot cover up all of the noise. Smell of smoke (both cigarettes and marijuana) come in from other units through the vents. Air purifiers help, but cannot resolve the issue on their own. Management refuses to address complaints about either smoke or noise. Building has roaches and mice (possibly because tenants leave open bags of trash in the trash room).

Current Resident 468468

Resident • 2012 - 2021

I LOVE the Argonne and have lived there for about eight years. The location is unparalleled, with super-easy access to several DC neighborhoods and very quick access to the (Columbia Heights) Metro and various grocery stores (Harris Teeter, etc.) and Target and several parks, including Rock Creek. Moreover, the units have gorgeous hardwood floors and high ceilings and lots of space, as well as renovated kitchens. The online portal allows for quick and easy requests to fix appliances and other issues in the unit, and the repair staff are very quick and effective. And the cleaning, concierge, and other staff are very polite and effective, as well. Additional perks include beautiful views, including of the National Cathedral, a gym, a studio for yoga and dancing, and a big pool with views of trees and nice architecture. It’s been a pleasure living there.

Prospective Resident 59510

Prospect • Visited 2020

Do not be fooled by the model units that the show because it will likely be completely different than the one you're actually paying for! Their "luxury" or so called renovated unit that you get will look like patched together of what was left over when ----- was in office! And have you wait weeks for what upgrades! --------------- is managed by CIM and the property manager --------------- is completely incompetent!

Anthony Krek

Resident • 2015 - 2018

I still don't understand how these guys are on business. This is hands down one of the oldest buildings in DC and it amazes me how there are not more people intoxicated with all the chemicals inside this big bloc of concrete

Jennifer879

Resident • 2018

This might be one of the oldest building in the neighborhood, thus the noise is really bad and there is not a second it does not disturb you. Mice are a big problem here and it just a matter of time bed bugs and other pests break around. Really expensive place.

Former Resident 235749

Resident • 2014 - 2018

The leasing office/owners of this apartment building are beyond unprofessional. I was a long-term resident who dealt with the prior owners, and when I wanted to move (because of relation to another state), they gave us a "bad review" that cost us a security deposit at the future apartment and sent us to their lawyers when we asked why (after 5 years of paying rent every month) - they are only worried about being legally liable, not being a good community to live in. THERE ARE SO MANY NICE PLACES GOING UP ON 16TH STREET THAT ARE WAY BETTER FOR THE SAME PRICE. This building is old and run down, with AC that doesn't work half of the time in summer (with no rent reimbursement of course). MOVE SOMEWHERE ELSE.

movetodc2017

Resident • 2017

I have been living in Argonne for almost 6 months, and it has been a great experience the whole time. The building is nicely renovated and comes with a lot of great amenities: the beautiful pool with several grills, the gym with a separate yoga room, business center, grocery store located on the first floor, nice lobby with TVs, WiFi, coffee, and freshly made cookies. Argonne is also in a perfect location. It is close to two Metro Stations, number of bus stops, grocery stores, Columbia Heights shopping mall, and a variety of dinning and social spots. The apartments are much larger than expected for this location and price with a large closet space, renovated kitchens and bathrooms. But what I like the most about Argonne is its amazing staff. Everyone here is very friendly and helpful. George (my leasing agent) was extremely helpful and has gone out of his way to help me to get a right place for the time needed. Front desk staff is also very accommodating and friendly. And any maintenance needed is done in less than 24 hours. I would recommend Argonne as a great place to live.

Current Resident 605784

Resident • 2014 - 2017

Lived at the Argonne for 4-5 years now. I am content here and have had good and bad experiences with the apartment management and the actual space. This building has gone through three (3) different management companies during my residence. With each new management things have improved. The front office staff is courteous, professional and responsive. However, this is impacted by their lack of support (or resources) from their direct management. For example the building is extremely old and there were numerous plumbing emergencies this fall and winter that caused significant damage in apartments and in the common areas. The management did not prepare their staff for such emergencies and it was chaos in my apartment for more than a month. There were strangers in and out of my apartment on a daily basis without any notice. Contractors left things broken and a mess, no cleaning up. No management or staff was dedicated to ensure that everything was communicated, completed AND cleaned up on a day to day basis. Instead, I was responsible for this and even then, it was not done and I spent hours and my own money to clean up after the contractors. It was very frustrating but the staff was extraordinarily responsive and listened to the frustrations. At another time, I had mice infestation. I reported it numerous times. Maintance came numerous times. It took months to get them to really take a deep look for potential holes and spaces for mice to slip in. Finally, after several months, they seemed to take me more seriously, did find holes, covered them and now have not had an infestation in over a year. I am hopeful I never will again. Other than these difficult experiences, the space is comforting, staff kind and friendly, neighbors mostly well behaved and fun to know, swimming pool and gym amazing attributes, maintenance most often available and responsive. I would say that the only negative is the management needs to better support their staff so that the staff can better be equipped to communicate issues and resolutions. The rest are mostly positives. It is a wonderful community. FINAL Note: What has always remained a constant throughout my entire residence is the kind, wonderful and fun front staff, Francis and Brenda.

Current Resident 618897

Resident • 2016 - 2017

I have had a very positive experience living at The Argonne!

Current Resident 223149

Resident • 2016

I recently moved in to this community and aside from a few bumps here and there, I have good things to say so far. On my move in day there was nobody in the leasing office and it was tricky to get the keys because they had written the wrong number on the envelope so the desk clerk didn't know they were mine; but I'm willing to give them a little slack since I moved in around a holiday. The apartment was in good order although I do have some beef with their cleaning. The floors and surfaces were mostly cleaned fine except for the areas above and around the stove top, there is sticky grease coating all over the place that they missed. All in all, this isn't a deal-breaking issue as I've moved into far dirtier apartments. Management has been responsive to my requests and questions so far. I love the apartment, it's beautiful, and the building is nicely renovated. The building is a little noisy, there's someone above me who stomps on the floor a lot, but that's largely to be expected in an old apartment building in an urban community. I have encountered mostly friendly residents although there have been a few questionable ones as well. It's nice that the building has a convenience store and a small restaurant although I wish the choices were a little more, conventional, or at least a little nicer looking.

Current Resident 217082

Resident • 2013 - 2014

Around may this year when my lease came to an end, I came about three times to check what would be my new rent when finally they told me there will be an increase of 2%, I asked them to verify it more than three times before agreed to it. 4 months later they sent me a letter saying that they made a mistake and that they discovered that they can actually rise my rent by 3.4% and they are making the change starting today!!! I was very upset about it and went to complain about it in the office, the response that i received was that they discovered that they can increase the rent to whomever came before a specific date into the building, When i told them that if they made a mistake it should be their problem and not mine since i came more than a few times before agreeing to the new rate and they should absorbed the difference of their mistake and the fact that they wanted it starting today was unacceptable they told me that they would look into that. A few days later they called me and said that they agree to give me one more month at the current rent and then the increase would take effect. To make a long story short, They lost a costumer to the fact that they got greedy and wouldn't admit their mistake. I can't believe that they rather see me move out of the building, posting a bad review and make sure that everyone i know would never set foot in any of their properties and not just admitting there was a mistake and wait with the increase till next may. But hey what can you expect from a management company that only cares about money and not their tenets and reputation... Be warned! !!!!

Current Resident 769335

Resident • 2013

I initially looked at this building hoping for lower rents than previous apartments I had in upper NW west of Rock Creek. The leasing agent who, as the reviews say is not especially helpful but gets the basic job done showed me three apartments: a small studio for 1500, a large studio (the largest they have at 650 sq ft) and the smallest one bedroom for 2000. The small studio was utilitarian with a kitchen not separated from the sleeping area but a large bathroom. The one bedroom was out of my price range but has a great view and A cute little balcony. Once I saw the large studio I was smitten. Nothing else in the neighborhood matched up. It has a whole separate room with a window for the kitchen and a closer that is its own room and is almost large enough to be a small bedroom. It was freshly renovated (some units in the building are and some aren't so you have to ask) with fresh paint and reasonably upscale appliances. The ceilings are insanely high and the walls are nice and thick. Unfortunately the windows are a bit thin so there is some noise facing east onto Columbia rd but nothing too bad. My main complaint is the minimally functioning air conditioner which is central but not very efficient. I like a cold apt but most probably won't care although I'm on a low floor and have a feeling it would be less pleasant up high. As designed. The high ceilings keep the hot air trapped up high so it isn't that bad. Otherwise it's a beautiful friendly building in an unbeatable location and I'm very happy with my choice.

Prospective Resident 995850

Prospect • Visited 2013

Avoid this apartment building. My girlfriend was considering moving here and called to set up a meeting to view an available unit. The woman over the phone told her there will be an 'open house' from 5-7pm the next day. I went with my girlfriend to check out the place and when we got to the front desk, the woman in charge looked at us like she had no idea what we were talking about. Also, she did not greet us; she seemed too busy listening to music or something. Turns out the unit was still occupied for a few days and she had scheduled an open house without consulting the individual in the apartment. We wasted a lot of time getting to the building and the staff was extremely rude, not helpful, and did not even act like they cared that they inconvenienced us. The woman at the desk of the leasing office needs to be fired ASAP. I can only imagine what the residents there have to deal with. Fortunately, there were other apartment buildings with available units a few blocks away in a better location.

Current Resident 949429

Resident • 2011 - 2012

I lived here in a studio for a little over a year. It was my first apartment after moving to DC, and it really seemed like a pretty good deal considering the location, pool and hardwood floors. Over the course of the year, several things turned me off to the building and its management. 1. My apartment had a great view of the little park on 16th and the spires, but smelled of musty beef tacos because the Pica Taco downstairs shares the same ventilation system. 2. There is a liquor/convenience store downstairs, which is nice until you have a lot of non-residents passing through the building, despite secured doors. 3. The pool is always crowded, and residents bring their small children and babies (with or without a swim diaper). 4. On the basement level, there is a door to the back alley where the dumpsters sit. Every month that alley area is heavily sprayed with rat poison and the smell wafts into the basement hall and laundry room for weeks. 5. Certain residents on the second floor throw their garbage into the trash room instead of putting it down the chute, or taking large items to the dumpster. The trash ends up accumulating inside the entire room and spilling out into the hallway over the weekends, when custodial staff isn't around. I once went into the trash room and saw a dirty diaper smeared all over the wall. 6. Upon moving out of my apartment I was told that the loading area outside of the building (by the convenience store and Pica Taco) would be clear. Day of move-out, the space was completely full of cars and the temp person at the desk couldn't find the elevator key to give me sole access to one of the elevators. 7. Management is terrible. Any time you call, the staff is rude, unaccommodating and you can never pick up packages on the weekend. 8. My apartment saw its fair share of bugs, not an infestation, but at least 5 house centipedes and dozens of small spiders that creep in thru drafty windows. 9. The window frames in the apartments have lead paint. You will have to sign a waiver when you sign your lease. 10. The sink in the studio kitchens is not a full sink. It's about the size of a bar sink, with no garbage disposal, and the faucet is too long, so water pours out all over the counter any time you wash dishes by hand. 11. Sensitive smoke alarms. My smoke detector was installed directly over my kitchen. Any time I used my oven, it would set off the smoke detector. I would have to take it down and leave it in the bathroom, while using my oven. I could go on, but the bottom line is that there are many other places to live in this city, and I would not recommend this building or management company.

Current Resident 430483

Resident • 2011 - 2012

I hope you're Paying a good price

This building is fine...Because the building is older things just arnt as "nice" as they once were. The lobby is the nicest part of the building. My biggest problem is the roach problem. A fairly clean person, I was alarmed that I was paying so much and seeing the bugs. While they sent bug people The management did not seem alarmed and they wont go away. If my rent was 600 dollars less I wouldn't be complaining...

jwt2011

Resident • 2010 - 2011

Sent to circuit court bc I was 10 days late on rent

Lived here for a year. The apartment was great; front desk staff and office management were nice and helpful. The one time I told them of a repair, it was fixed that day; the one time I saw a roach, the exterminators were sent within 3 days. Generally, I was pleased with the apartment and management. With that said, please be aware of the following as it is alarming - in March 2011 (5th month of occupancy), I was traveling and neglected to pay my rent on time. When you do not pay your rent by the 10th of the month, the Argonne automatically sends the tenant to circuit court to be evicted. If you pay your rent before the court date, the property management company sends a release to the court. Unfortunately, the civil action still shows up on your criminal background check so you will have to explain it when someone does a background check (i.e. new employer, security check, etc.). It should be noted that the Argonne does not have a PO box or mailing address so paying remotely is difficult. Tenants pay their rent in a drop box by the front desk (no lie - pretty antiquated) or through a website but you have to remember the site s URL, your login and password and then have to have your bank s routing number and check account number (no lie - as if I carry this information while traveling).

alemaccina

Resident • 2011

Good location, good apartments, awful building terrible management

I have lived here for a year. The only reason I stay is because my apartment is big and comfortable. However there are aspects of this building which are unacceptable. I rent a two bedroom and pay close to 3000 dollars a month. There is NO HOT WATER between 8 and 9 am, only lukewarm. The front desk is rarely staffed. The Gym is underequipped and its not well mantained. Basically, I'm not getting the amenities I'm paying for. Oh yeah and the air conditioning sucks. It doesn't cool down anything. I know that this building is rent control and that us new renters are pretty much subsidizing the rest of the building, but come on...they could do a little better. The one thing that redeems the poor amenities and poor management is Pica Taco!!!. Can't get enough. Oh and the convenience store downstairs is also amazing. So basically I'm happy with my apartment, Pica Taco, and the convenience store but I'm very dissatisfied with the building in general.