Overall sentiment about Lake Morton Plaza is strongly mixed, with clear patterns of both high praise and serious concern. Many reviewers emphasize the facility’s strong social environment: a busy, engaged community with frequent activities (bingo, movies, live music, outings, exercise classes) and an activities team that is often singled out for positive attention. Frontline staff — aides, dining servers, housekeeping, and maintenance technicians — are repeatedly described as friendly, caring, and willing to go above and beyond, giving families peace of mind and helping residents settle in. The apartments themselves are a frequent highlight: roomy one- and two-bedroom units with separate kitchens, balconies and attractive lake views. Several reviewers consider the value good to excellent for the size and location, and many note convenient downtown proximity to public transit, medical centers, and VA services.
However, those positives sit alongside recurring operational and facility concerns. The property is an older high-rise: reviewers commonly describe narrow or dark hallways, dated common areas, and an overall “old” or “motel-like” building feel. Elevator reliability is one of the most consistently cited problems — small, slow, and prone to waiting — which affects daily life in a 10+ story building. A number of reviewers also raised cleanliness and hygiene issues, ranging from isolated dirty hallways and trash-area spills to more serious allegations such as mold in air conditioning or bathrooms, pest/lice concerns, and even MRSA-related reports. These claims are not unanimous but are significant enough to warrant careful inquiry by prospective families.
Dining receives highly polarized feedback. Multiple reviews rave about the food, describing a restaurant-like dining room, a four-star chef, homemade baked goods, and meals that improved weight and appetite for residents. Conversely, other reviewers describe food as cold, tough, disorganized kitchen staffing, and overall “awful,” with some noting limited weekend breakfast options (scrambled eggs only). Meal service logistics are another complaint: meals sometimes take a long time to serve and lunch/dining areas can be very busy, which may affect residents who need prompt meal timing for medications or routines.
Management and administrative concerns are another recurring theme. While many frontline staff are praised, administrative-level criticism appears frequently: allegations of rude or dictatorial behavior by some administrators, paperwork delays, poor communication about policy changes, and reports of favoritism or even theft and stimulus-check issues. Some reviewers claimed threatening behavior around employment or resident issues, and a few cited fear of eviction or perceived double standards. There are also mixed reports about the health/nursing side: contracted nursing staff are praised in several accounts for responsive care (including prompt correction of insulin timing), yet others say healthcare teams are overstretched and paperwork/notification about clinical issues can be delayed.
Maintenance and operational responsiveness are described in both positive and negative terms. Several reviews applaud a maintenance crew that 'goes above and beyond' and note prompt repairs (generator, prompt appliance fixes). At the same time, other accounts mention ongoing unresolved fixes, broken appliances left unaddressed, an incident of a folding table collapsing and causing injury, and rusted or malfunctioning refrigerators. Policy and fee-related complaints appear too: non-refundable one-month rent, up-charges for higher floors, confusing parking, limited laundry access, and occasional lack of notification when policies change.
Location and amenities are generally seen as strengths: close to downtown services, public transit, and medical facilities; many units have pleasant lake views; on-site amenities like a salon, library, gym, and hobby rooms are appreciated. Outdoor space is a known limitation — reviewers frequently note little to no garden or outdoor seating and no pool, and some find the busy street environment and traffic a concern for wildlife and pedestrian safety.
Bottom line: Lake Morton Plaza appears to be a strong fit for many residents seeking spacious apartments, a lively activities program, and compassionate frontline staff at a reasonable price in a central location. Nevertheless, the facility’s older high-rise infrastructure, recurring elevator and cleanliness complaints, polarized dining experiences, and troubling administrative/safety allegations create potential red flags. Prospective residents and families should tour multiple times (including mealtimes and evenings), inspect the specific apartment and common areas, ask for written policies on fees and infection control, request references from current families, check licensure and staffing ratios for assisted living, and probe recent remediation efforts for any documented hygiene or safety incidents. Given the divergence in reviews, individualized evaluation and careful follow-up on the specific concerns most relevant to your situation are essential.
