Scripps Building

Plain and simple, building should be torn down. The slum lords who own this building refuse to update it, the walls are falling over, the stairwell is gross. I mean, yay, you get to live downtown, but in a building that will fall over in a earthquake over 6.0.

Backstory
After looking at over 50+ potential apartments across San Diego we had a hard time finding one that fit our needs until we came across these lofts. We were instantly taken by the open yet cozy feel of our unit. The lobby and the rest of the art «installations» by Michael Serrano are always a conversation starter. This building is owned by the LWP Group-​the same people that own The Pearl in Point Loma, the Onyx Room in the Gaslamp and the other Community apartments across town. The owners attract a younger, art/​popular-​culture-​appreciating crowd. One of the cool things about the building is that there is a «Space Invader» tag on the side of it (see the movie «Exit the Gift Shop»)-one of the few chosen places around town with one.
Location
You a literally steps from the trolley, countless of great restaurants, bars, and shops. The «live entertainment» (read: bums, drunks, and street people) is entertaining on its own. There is a 7 – 11 directly downstairs, the Ralph’s grocery is just a few blocks away and the Super Junior market is around the corner. FedEx Office is literally across the street and Horton Plaza is just down the street as are movie theaters, grassy areas for your pet, coffee shops, tea shops and a Ross Dress for Less if you are so inclined.
The Deal
All the people that we have met here are young-​ish and friendly, but the building itself is relatively quiet. I don’t smell anyone’s cooking or hear anyone’s music. The building is old and has some old building issues like the elevator, a stinky garbage room and limited laundry machines in the basement. Parking is a pain in the neck and most of the time you have to play musical car if you want to avoid getting a ticket or two. You can try to find a lot with open monthly parking passes, but those don’t seem so easy to get and sometimes it is just easier to park on the street than to deal with parking somewhere far away in the East Villiage. There are no special amenities-​no a/​c or heat, no gym, no doorman, no parking, and the «on-​site manager» is kind of a ghost. The LWP Group offices are above the Onyx Room and they are incredibly easy to deal with (especially Carly) and host events and often invite the residents. Maintenance is great; swift, friendly, and competant.
Conclusion
Downtown living has its perks and drawbacks, but if you want to live here be prepared and know that you are living in an urban area. This is not the suburbs-it’s Downtown San Diego filled with everything you can imagine when that phrase enters your mind. If that is the lifestyle you want than living in the Scripps building is a great way to experience it.
The End.

These lofts are really cool, especially the 01’s which have the elevators open into the apartment. The layouts are nice, they have great tall ceilings, huge windows and most have hardwood floors. That said there are a couple downsides. The elevators are older and need to be replaced. They were recently down for a couple months and even though they are back up and running they are very skittish. The rooftop was supposed to be transformed into a ‘socializing’ area but due to the high cost of remodeling and the city restrictions, they said they were no longer moving forward with that. Living downtown has it’s problems. While the lofts are mostly quiet, you can’t keep out all the city noise, so be prepared for trolley noise, loud crazy people walking the streets and the sounds of the sirens going by, but this is by no means managements problems. The on site manager has always been cool and anytime I have needed anything, I get a quick response. The lobby was recently remodeled, and while it’s not the style I would have gone with it still looks nice. The best part of these lofts is the cost, compared to the prices of other places I looked into, this place is a steal!

This 6 story, 100 year old apartment building contains 28 live/​work lofts and is managed by the LWP Group, a San Diego real estate development company. The lofts vary in size, layout, and view, and those characteristics along with some considerations for moderate income housing generally determine the monthly rent. The entrance to the building is situated in the middle of the 5^th Avenue trolley stop between 5^th and 6^th avenues and a significant part of the first floor of the building is occupied by 7-​Eleven.
Despite its age, the building has been somewhat modernized and contains 2 elevators: one elevator goes floor to floor and one is a private elevator that goes directly into apartments. In addition, the LWP Group recently promised to do some renovations to create a new community type atmosphere in the building and renovate the roof top from being rather barren as it is now into being a spot for socialization. The building has a laundry room in the basement and no in unit laundry in any of the units I’ve been. The trash room is also in the basement and there is no trash shoot.
The units are generally plain single rooms with an attached closet, a bathroom and high ceilings. All the units I’ve seen have hardwood or cement flooring or a combination of the two. The units that face 6^th avenue or C street generally have 10 foot windows across the entire walls facing the street. Some of the less expensive units do not face the street and have inward facing windows that face the wall of a building about 10 feet away. In addition, some of the walls and ceilings are exposed cement. Based on the aspects of the unit, rents can vary from about $ 1000/​mo to $ 1500/​mo and possibly higher. Parking is not included.
Although the building is next door to the House of Blues, the noise from the concerts does not travel into the building. Directly before and after concerts, however, there will be some noise from House of Blues patrons as they exit into the street. Depending on the floor of the unit and the street it faces, there may be some noise from either the trolley or 6^th avenue.
After summarizing the basics of the building and the units, it is time for the skinny on what it is really like. From what I can tell, most of the people who live in the building are 20 somethings and a lot of them work downtown. The place is not a palace by any stretch of the imagination and places like the 677 or 777 lofts are nicer. The garbage room is filthy and I’ve definitely seen a roach or two down there. However, the floors are nicely decorated and generally clean. I have a unit on the lower floors facing the street and the noise has never significantly bothered me, but a light sleeper should be more cautious. For the price, the unit offers a good value and comparable units with a parking spot and an in unit washer/​dryer in the downtown/​gaslamp area go for about $ 350+/mo more. If the development company keeps their word and renovates the place a little bit, it could become quite a deal.