Metro 417

As I sit here during my last night at Metro 417, reminiscing of the great two years I’ve spent in this historical building, it feels like the perfect time to leave my thoughts about this apartment. But before I get to all the positives let me get the few negatives (for which I’m removing one star) out of the way in case any of these are deal-​breakers for you.
First, the price to square footage ratio you get here is not great, as is expected in DTLA. I’ve asked around with other apartments in the vicinity and the rent here is comparable; but do expect significant increases in rent every year if you are to become a resident here. Secondly, the windows are not double-​paned (they look like old warehouse windows with inlaid chicken wire) nor are they completely sealed from the outside. You will hear traffic, sirens, helicopters, and the occasional homeless person or partier screaming during the night outside of the building. I don’t necessarily view this as a negative since I count this as the essential background noise of the big city, just as you would expect to hear the sound of waves by the beach or birds chirping if you lived near the woods. But do take note of this if you are a light sleeper. Thirdly, there have been some mishaps such as a few of the elevators not working, leaks, garage doors not opening, and the hot water temporarily going out; however, the staff was very quick to address the problems and also very transparent about the time needed to fix these issues. Finally, because of Metro 417’s location (right between the financial district and historic core); the neighborhood can be a bit rough around the edges. I’ve never felt threatened at all even walking around after midnight (I am a pretty big guy); but just be alert when walking outside the building.
The last negative I mentioned is also one of Metro 417’s biggest selling points. It has one of the best locations in DTLA! I worked in the financial district and I was able to walk to work every day in under 7 minutes! The Perch is literally right across the street and you are walking distance to every bar and restaurant on 7^th street and the rest of DTLA. If walking isn’t your thing, the metro (subway) station is right next to the apartment and you can easily take it to Hollywood and beyond.
As for the room itself, I only had the smallest studio available; but I had outstanding views of LA City Hall, Angel’s Flight Railway (closed), Angel’s Knoll (closed), Grand Central Market and North Hill Street. If you want the best views, I do recommend getting a room on the North-​East side of the building. The rooms come equipped with all appliances, although they are fairly basic. The walls are also very thick, I’ve often played music loudly and never gotten noise complaints and I’ve never heard even a peep from any of my neighbors. The residents here are also great as well. I’ve never had an issue with anyone and they are either approachable or keep to themselves.
The amenities here are great as well. No, there isn’t a pool (although I really wish there was), but they have a great rooftop lounge area with a BBQ and Jacuzzi that has better LA city views than the Perch. The social lounge (with a private theater and pool table area) is great, although not as spectacular or unique as the rooftop lounge but it is open ²⁴⁄₇. I love the ²⁴⁄₇ gym in the building as well, with good quality cardio and exercise equipment. One thing to note with the gym is that there are no barbells available (maybe for insurance purposes) and the dumbbells only go up to 50 lbs. For those who work late hours, having front desk concierge is a life saver because that means you can pick up your packages at the front desk at any time of the day.
The parking situation here is great. You will get your own assigned parking spot in a secured parking structure that is connected to the building. There are even a good amount of guest parking spots, which is almost unheard of in DTLA.
Lastly and most importantly, Metro 417 has the friendliest and most helpful staff I’ve ever encountered thus far in an apartment building. They actively host events for the residents, such as art walks, book clubs, and parties for all sorts of holidays (with complimentary food, alcohol, and drinks!). This is what truly sets Metro 417 apart from all the other apartment’s I’ve lived at, because it truly does feel that the staff is part of the community and that they put in the extra effort to make the community a special one. The security staff is very welcoming and it was always great to say hi and catch up with them when walking in the building or seeing them patrol the common areas. The maintenance staff is on point as well, usually taking care of my work orders within 24 hours or less.
A big shout out and many thanks to Evan, Greg, Marcus, Seth, Tony, Dennis, Jason and all the other staff at Metro 417 for making my stay here so wonderful. Hopefully I will be back someday!

This happened earlier this evening. Out of nowhere, my apartment’s ceiling has water pouring down around the kitchen sink area. I had moved everything away from the puddle on the floor but not until everything I put on the countertop was soaked. Things like my electronic devices and worst of all, my SSN card.
I went up to the unit directly above mine to find that the maintenance was working on the kitchen. I told them whatever you’re doing, please stop. It’s making a mess to the floor below.
I hope the management will do something about this.
What an unlucky evening for me.
edit: forgot to mention that I’m currently a tenant at this building

When I found out that I needed to relocate to DTLA for work, I immediately put Metro 417 on my list of places to check out. I had been on an LA Conservancy tour a few years back and they had taken us into the lobby of Metro 417 and explained its history. I remember it seemed like a lovely place.
So I called up the number on their website and made an appointment on Thursday for a tour on Saturday. I talked with a lady who asked me what I was looking for, when I was moving, if I had pets etc. She was very polite and efficient and told me they had a couple of studios that might work for me. So far so good.
I arrive 10 minutes early for my scheduled tour time. I check in with the security guy at the front desk, who was very friendly, and he tells me to take a seat. Then he has me start filling out some paperwork asking me what I’m looking for in an apartment. All the time I’m sitting there, I can see another guy just sitting behind his computer. After 25 minutes (read– 15 minutes AFTER my scheduled tour time) another small group of people come walking in and say they too have a tour scheduled. So the guy that has been sitting at his computer this whole time comes out and says to me, «I don’t have you scheduled for a tour. I have these people scheduled for a tour.» Ummm, what? Then he asks me what number I called to make an appointment. I told him the one on the website. He then goes, «Well, I don’t know who you talked to but I can’t give you a tour because these people are scheduled for a tour.»
So either Metro 417 screwed up their scheduling or they just decided to give my time slot away to someone else (maybe the other people were looking at higher priced units than me and that made me not worth their time???). Either way, they could have let me know there was a problem without having me sit there for 25 minutes while they ignored me. I found this totally off-​putting. Out of the 8 buildings I toured looking for an apartment, Metro 417 is the only one that had a problem with scheduling a tour. I mean, if they can’t schedule a tour correctly, how would anyone with this company handle any issues that might arise while living there? No thanks.

Loved the building and the staff. The high, unexpected rent hikes and noise from Pershing Square and the generator at the Gas Company are definitely cons.

At the end of this month I will have been a resident for 15 months. When looking for an apartment in downtown there are two aspects to consider. First is the apartment itself and second are the surroundings or the downtown LA experience itself.
Speaking to the first aspect, I believe the building at 417 S Hill St. is at the top its class. I have been inside many /​most of the apartments in the downtown area while visting friends. 417 S Hill is consistently the cleanest by far and with a 24 hour staff also the easiest to access. The parking is onsite and feels safe. Guest parking is not great, but that is a tiertiary consideration in my view.
The building is solid as a rock — I imagine when it was built in 1925 it was one of the nicest office buildings in the Western United States. Very little can be heard from neighbors, at least in my experience. The management level employees are all top notch. The security guards at the front desk are security guards — not doormen or meet and greeters as I think some others may want them to be.
Maintenance has always been handled quickly and higher level managment will help you with your problems. Maintenance workers are onsite so things are taken care of quickly. This is not the case at other buildings in downtown by the way. Also, the real estate investment trust that owns the building also owns another in the area and I am under the impression they lend a hand to each other from time to time.
Also, having been to many other area buildings, you will not find quite the same crowd here. Definitely more of a professional crowd rather than empty 12 packs in the stairwells crowd. Overall, with the constraints of running a property in downtown, I doubt the management could realistically do much better than they do.
The builkding also throws a lot of events — once a month for art walk and also at times such as Holloween and the holidays. Free drinks and sometimes food are provided and you will have ample opportunity to meet your neighbors.
The downtown experience is the second aspect of choosing to live at 417 S Hill St. or any other building in the area. The main advantage to the Hill St. location is that you are close to the historic core, but not quite in it. This means it is a little quieter and a little less rough around the edges. However, one should not confuse downtown with San Francisco, Chicago or New York City. It just does not have the same level of development in the number of services available, especially evenings and weekends. However, given the trajectory since I started coming to downtown regularly in 2008 that should continue to improve.
Complaintants could point to many other aspects of downtown living such as residing next to the largest stable homeless population in the U.S. (Skid Row) or the extensive amount of ground and aerial filming that occur in and over downtown which shut down streets or produce large amounts of noise at night. Even some of this is changing — after a recent night time aerial filming after having filed a complaint with the FAA as to the nature of some of the filming, it was revealed that the FAA inspector in charge of the flight plan was not even aware the building he allowed a helicopter to hover near at 11pm at night was an apartment building — instead assuming it was either commercial or (largely) abandonded. As time goes on and more people move to the area, these aspects will improve.
There are many positive aspects of downtown though as well — for example imagine you are single person and happen to meet someone a few blocks from you that you start seeing. It’s pretty cool to be able to walk to your date’s apartment, or do things together at short notice. That is not to mention all the places you can go to meet people. There are plenty of options for bars /​clubs /​etc all within walking distance.
With mixed feelings I decided to move from the property soon and the reason may be instructive to some. In downtown LA one has many of the disadvantages of city life, while still have to deal with the suburban nature of much of Los Angeles. In New York City or San Francisco there is a good chance most of one’s friends will be accessible within the city and it is easy to get together, but living in LA, everyone is so spread out that traveling for just about anything is still part of daily life. And to that point, if you are going to pay to live in a place like 417 S Hill St., you could just as well get a house (or at least a townhouse), with a lot more space and easier car access. For those that largely work and stay in downtown, the calculus is different, but that will depend on an individuals’s own circumstances.

We lived at Metro 417 back in 2006 on the 7^th floor in a 1bdr. We paid 1900 $ then which included one parking spot. We always felt safe in the building. We wished the windows were better as our unit was very loud from traffic (we live in NYC so we understand noise). We found the hot tub on the roof was constantly shut down, they always «needed a part». The Metro staff was polite and polished. We kept a buggy in our parking space as it was the equivalence of walking several city blocks from our space to our apartment front door, so if you had cargo, it was a hassle. The building was always kept clean. The electric stove in our kitchen was horrible and impossible to keep clean. The bathroom sink was tiny, like the size on a plane. I couldn’t put a bathroom rug down as the bathroom door was the incorrect size and nearly scraped the bathroom floor, Forrest wouldn’t do anything about it. The apartment however was spacious, with high ceilings. The gym was fantastic and a huge reason why we lived there. If we moved back to LA, we’d include Metro 417 on our list of places to consider.

I have lived at Metro 417 for about 2 years now, and the reason I am giving them 1 star is due to the fact I am now having to pay $ 1000 due to security having towed my car without any notification. I discovered this when I went to go get something out of my car and saw that it was missing.
I do not drive often so the car had been impounded for 11 days without my knowledge and has accrued lots of fees.
When I approached management and security about the issue I was informed that the car was in the wrong spot (the spot directly next to the assigned spot), and that security does not try to determine who the owner of the car is prior to towing.
Metro refused to take any responsibility for towing a tenets vehicle mistakenly, and is using their corporate policies as an excuse to provide no customer service to a loyal tenet.
This is part of an overall trend at the building where management truly goes 100% by the book and does not consider the human factor when dealing with tenets and their issues. Not exactly a quality you look for in a place to live.
I am more than willing to revise this review upon reaching an amicable solution with management on the $ 1000 towing bill, but that is yet to happen.

I currently live in Metro 417, I am very satisfied with the apartment I share with my girlfriend. The staff, Evan, Seth, Marcus, Glen, Jacob (sorry I left you out of the original) and a variety of security and general maintenance people keep the place running like a Swiss watch.
I am up on the 12^th floor so I have VERY high ceiling in the living room/​dining room/​kitchen with concealed lighting that gives a ‘choir of Angels’ effect when you come home after dark and light the place up. The kitchen is relatively small but I live in DTLA for a reason. Restaurants! The kitchen isn’t an issue. I have a brand new, very quiet washer/​dryer. One bedroom with and en suite bathroom and absurdly abundant closet space sits on one end of my apartment and the second bedroom with separate bathroom is on the other. I should be ashamed to say that this bedroom is used as a closet. I’m not ashamed, however, because I’m a dandy and clothes are my ‘raison d’etre’. Ok, and food.
The location is ideal if you are fortunate enough to work at California Plaza, I work out in Monrovia and have a 25 minute commute against the traffic flow, so I get to see people sitting still as I drive at or below the speed limit.
I’ve lived in London, England and Dortmund, Germany so maybe I’m a little less freaked out by the proximity of other people or the unique urban flora and fauna. It’s a big city, you’ll get some freaks. Ignore them, they’ll leave you alone. Better yet, engage them in witty banter and see where your day takes you. You my make a new friend.
For anyone wanting a closer look at the place, call up and arrange a tour or go to the DTLA site and get on the monthly tour of the various apartment complexes to see for yourself?

We lived here temporarily while in escrow on a property. The building is huge, historic, and always clean. The staff is so professional and friendly. There’s free coffee in the lobby, a beautiful rooftop, and great events for residents with food and drink. The units are private, and virtually maintenance free.

A great place to live. Very clean, beautiful building, interesting architecture and history, good location in relation to the MOCA and Concert Hall. Very easy access parking and strong security with keyless entry and desk attendant 24 hours a day. Pet friendly and very cute dog ambassador in the leasing office. Quick elevators, nice mail room, a great gym, a nice movie theater, and a rooftop deck with a beautiful view of DTLA, especially at night. The staff is very good overall as well. Friendly, quiet building. Big windows, washer/​dryer in unit, granite counter tops, and big closets in the apartments. Overall, an excellent building and the best place I’ve rented.

This place is fancy. A former subway station, the apartments are pretty nice. The roof has a BBQ and jacuzzi, and there is a nice gym, movie room and pool table area fr residents to hang out in.

I’ve been living here for about 4 months now and it is the best apartment I’ve ever lived in by far!
Rooms — The building and apartments are spacious and gorgeous. There are dishwashers, washers, dryers, etc in every apartment. The living rooms are hardwood floor and the bedroom is carpeted. The one weird thing is that there are no window screens — however this hasn’t been an issue for me since you can open them however much you want and there don’t seem to be any bugs up here.
Management — The security guys are GREAT! They know you by name, tell you when you have packages, and are kind to guests. It’s also extremely safe.
Guests — There is much more parking here than at other DTLA buildings. When there isn’t parking, there is a lot across the street. However, that lot is a SCAM and makes people pay $ 13 when they initially say its only $ 5.
Amenities — I wish that we had a pool but we don’t :(its just a rooftop area to lay out and a jacuzzi. I sneak over to Medici to use their pools and jacuzzis. We do have a great gym though. I have never had an issue getting a treadmill or elliptical.
Pets– Metro is pet friendly! Tons of people have cute dogs and they make it a great community for pet owners and pet lovers.
Location — The location is central so its convenient to get anywhere around the area. But its not the safest area in the world and there are homeless people around Pershing Square. Sometimes months there are way more than others; in April it was swarming with them but then in August there were none. I’d take the homeless over gangs though. Homeless people generally don’t have weapons and will just harass you for money.

I’ve been living here for about 2.5 years and it’s by far the best apartment I’ve lived in. I used to move from one apartment to another every year but I keep renewing my lease with Metro 417. Many of my friends have moved into this building since I have because they, too, fell in love with it. One friend even moved to another building then came back to Metro 417 after just a year.
Building — absolutely gorgeous. I mean, it is a landmark after all. The building is extremely clean and well-​maintained.
Location — I literally never drive because my work, trendy bars, and restaurants are all within walking distance. There’s always something new to do with entertainments and special events going on in the area. Subway station and the bus stop is just a few steps away. Hence, Metro 417 has a walk score of 98 and transit score of 100:
Amenities — besides the ones already mentioned on
, there is on-​site dry-​cleaning service, BBQ grill on the rooftop, recycling service…
Staff — Management, security, and maintenance, are awesome. They foster a family-​like atmosphere with the residents. They are highly professional, responsive, and will take care your needs immediately.
Rent — it’s not cheap but the rent price is very reasonable relative to other buildings in the area.
Parking — lack of parking is a common issue for downtown LA but at Metro 417, parking is never an issue. Guest parking lot is HUGE for downtown standard with plenty of vacant space for my guests. If the lot is full, however, no biggie — there’s plenty of street parking or you could park in one of the two paid lots next door for just $ 5 all night.
Residents — most residents are fun young professionals in the field of fashion, finance, or law. You could mingle with your neighbors and their friends at mixers and parties (i.e. live band, catered food, open bar, etc) the management puts together just about every month.
In conclusion, I would highly recommend Metro 417 to anyone who’s interested in moving to downtown LA.

I currently live here and I couldn’t be happier. My boyfriend, who loves the east side and I, who love the west side decided that middle ground was needed so we decided on downtown LA. We searched and searched about 25 buildings in DT and when we finally found Metro 417, it was like all my wishes were answered. First off… love the building, I am a sucker for art deco and vintage and the lobby and original Italian marble in the hallways still to this day impresses me. Secondly… the parking, ALL the other places we looked at either had off site parking or strange valet parking that was an extra charge on top of the parking charge. Although downtown is far better than the previous years, security is always an issue and if I am coming home late with bags in my hands, I want to walk right from my car to my apartment and not wander the streets just asking to be robbed. Thirdly… the amenities, while the roof top is smaller than others we looked at, the view was far better, and a jacuzzi doesn’t hurt, also the gym is great. You won’t believe where other buildings tried to squeeze gyms into their apartments… roofs, basements, etc. Fourthly… I love that there are so many different kinds of layouts for all needs. I adore my one bedroom set up, I’ve never had a bigger closet in my life! Fifthly… it’s right next to the metro, Pershing Square, and the California Water Plaza, always something to do. Most importantly there are always awesome events. Whether it be a party, or a new business coming in and sampling wares, or movies screened, the building feels social without being in your face if you choose not to attend events.
I’ve read the other reviews and I have to say yes back in 2009 you could not get anyone to return a call to save your life!!! There was some bad management and thankfully ding dong the witch is dead that guy got canned and we were lucky enough to get a new and wonderful manager. I’ve spoken to him many times, although I can’t remember his name so I call him Beck-​Light as he looks like a young and nonscientologist version of Beck, he always takes the time to listen and under his watch I’ve seen a BBQ added to the roof, things organized, things deep cleaned, the jacuzzi amped up, ATT U-​verse now in the building, and many other projects that would have never happened without him.
Overall I adore the building, the security team downstairs are awesome, they always remember you and say hello, so friendly and personable. It’s not just an apartment, it’s a home.

poor service seems to be their way of doing business. None of the messages I have left them have ever been returned.
How do they expect to rent units if they don’t return calls?

I’m appalled at the level of customer service from Metro 417. I called and got their corporate offices. They said they would have someone call me the next business day to schedule an appt to review a unit. No one ever called me. So I called again a few days later to schedule an appt, left a message with my contact info and no one ever called me back. I called again today and was told they don’t schedule same day appts. When I said I had been calling for a couple of days now, and can’t believe I can’t look at a unit the same day, the person who answered the phone hung up on me.
This is probably indicative of how they treat their tenants too.

I live here now. It is awesome. Feels like living on 57^th and Lexington in New York City, or as close to it as you can get in Los Angeles. I have a killer view of the Biltmore Hotel and the city.
The Park Fifth condo high rise will never be built because its part of the laughable and absurd Grand Avenue Project, with the lethal combination of a recession, the nearly complete Ritz Carlton tower by the Nokia/​Staples Center and the high vacancy rate for the available luxury condos in Los Angeles, its a pipe dream at this point.

I’ve lived here for over a year now couldn’t be happier.
I echo everything Mike R said. The building is beautiful and very safe, the front desk staff (24 hours) is professional but also very friendly (gotten to know most of them and they will get to know your name), great gym, roof-​top hangout spot and jacuzzi, movie room, car wash (not free) and a great location to the metro and lots of restaurants and bars downtown.
The leasing office people are friendly as is the concierge (and helpful). You can’t go wrong living here.

I think the other review hit all the features. A couple other things I really like about this place is that the walls are really thick so you don’t hear your neighbors and you can make a little more noise and feel comfortable =P. I ask my neighbors if they can hear my music and they say never.
Maintenance is usually on point, they have an online system where you can submit requests and check status on. The people that live here are really friendly and very sociable. It seems like most people that live here are happy people.
Everything is great but a few things you should be aware of:
* A lot of noise from outside especially early in the morning (traffic, alarms, etc) so if you are a light sleeper take caution but this is very typical of downtown
* I have to take 2 elevators to get to my car. Its no biggie just kinda annoying.
overall i love my apt.

Metro 417 is a Historic building that used to be a Subway Terminal WAAAY back in the day and is now an upscale apartment complex.
This place is secure, clean, gated (adjacent to the building) parking structure (non tandem parking), guest parking (unheard of in downtown LA), prof mgmt, gym, roof-​top jacuzzi, screening room, pool table, FREE arcade machine (w/​old school games like pacman, 1942, etc), poker table, car wash service, 24-​hr front desk (these guys are dope cause they take the time to learn all of the residences names. well they know mine and that’s what matters. RRIIIGHT?), dry-​clean service, concierge, and it’s located right across the street from the Metro station (Pershing Square) and in stumbling distance of most bars and lounges in downtown LA.
Oh yeah, every couple of months Mgmt throws parties with FREE food and booze. What more can you ask for?