My experience at St. Claire:

Parking:
Parking was the first challenge. Since the building doesn’t offer any, I was forced to choose between street parking, which is nearly impossible in a downtown area, or paying an additional $100 each month to park in a public parking garage a block away. A block doesn’t seem so far until your arms are full of groceries or you need to make more than one trip. No fault of the apartment, but the garage itself isn’t exactly safe either. My car was broken into... shortly after moving in.

Utilities:
Maybe it’s the tall ceilings or the windows from ages ago, but these units are difficult to heat/cool. In the cooler months, my heating bill alone was nearly $200/month. The windows are so old that the cold air pours in from the sides and the warm air rises to the top. Not only are the utilities expensive, but they’re often unreliable. 3 times since I’ve lived here, I’ve woken up without running water. No toilet, no shower. Not because I didn’t pay a bill, but because for reasons unknown to me, the building’s water had been shut off. Not ideal when I need to clean up before I head to work.

Noise:
The single-pane windows do little to dull the street noise. At night, you hear people shouting as they leave the bars. During the day, if you’re home — and we’re in the midst of a pandemic, so I’m home a lot, you’ll hear the streetcars, sirens and people on the roof all day long. I can hear every footstep above me and it’s awful. The rooftop is a nice amenity (albeit one I don’t get to use too often), but others do — I hear them up there all. the. time.

Fire Escapes:
I have a unit with a fire escape at the window. I usually keep my shades open to let lots of natural light in. People who don’t live here sometimes gain access and want to go hang out on the roof — which requires a key. So instead, they climb the fire escape to gain access. This is awful because anyone can stand on the fire escape and look directly into my apartment. I once woke up from a nap and it was dark outside and there was a group of several people standing on my fire escape drinking and they could see right into my apartment. This happens at least once each month, and I’ve gotten into the routine of ensuring my blinds on that window are always closed.

These topics showcase my personal experience. Your mileage may vary. Read More

There are plenty of 'luxury' lofts and apartments in San Jose, but very, very few have unique character born of a long history and central location.

The St. Claire Apartments are that, in the SoFA District of city center; a quarter that puts one within a 15 minute walk of multiple transit lines (Amtrak, CalTrain, VTA), several other major entertainment and dining avenues, and close proximity to several sports venues (Sharks Hockey, Quakes Soccer) an international airport, and new spots opening... up all the time...downtown San Jose is going through a bit of a resurgence, and that's all a bonus at this stage. A Michael Mina restaurant, two craft cocktail bars, a jazz club covered by Downbeat magazine and several dining spots are all on the same block, so you do not have to go far to find something great to do.

High ceilings and thick walls give a sense of both space and being in a real building and not some pre-fabbed sheetrock box. Classic fixtures from all eras of the building give it a unique look, and the rooftop patio is actually great year round given the weather here.

To cap it off, the building maintenance and management is actually responsive, something practically unheard of elsewhere. Read More