Montclare Senior Residences of Avalon Park

    1200 E 78th St, Chicago, IL, 60619
    4.1 · 15 reviews
    • Independent living
    • Assisted living
    AnonymousCurrent/former resident
    3.0

    Beautiful building, poor management, pests

    I moved into Montclare Senior Residences of Avalon Park and appreciate the beautiful, clean building, modern studios, lots of activities, and reliable van/transport help for doctor appointments. Most staff are friendly and helpful, but management and customer service can be atrocious-I've encountered rudeness, hung-up calls, refused deliveries and an unwillingness to share management contacts-and there have been serious issues like rodent/bedbug reports and a prolonged power outage. Overall it's a nice, active community I would recommend only cautiously after confirming pest control and clear management responsiveness.

    Pricing

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    Amenities

    4.13 · 15 reviews

    Overall rating

    1. 5
    2. 4
    3. 3
    4. 2
    5. 1
    • Care

      3.0
    • Staff

      3.9
    • Meals

      4.1
    • Amenities

      4.7
    • Value

      4.0

    Pros

    • Helpful, friendly, and professional staff
    • Clean facility and well-kept apartments
    • Modern/new building with updated rooms and studios
    • Lots of on-site activities and events (jazz festivals, guided tours)
    • Transportation and errand assistance, doctor appointment support
    • Accessible design for elderly and disabled
    • Beautiful decor, great views, and many amenities
    • Reasonable rent
    • Active, social senior community
    • High demand/waiting list (indicates popularity)

    Cons

    • Inconsistent or poor customer service from some staff
    • Instances of rude behavior, hung-up calls, and refused deliveries
    • Management unwilling to provide contact or respond appropriately (per some reports)
    • Rodent and bedbug infestations reported
    • Prolonged power outage incident
    • Atrocious or inconsistent management (per some reviewers)
    • Poor accommodation of special needs for some residents
    • Fear and distress among residents related to serious incidents
    • Onboarding confusion and staff turnover
    • No availability/waiting list (for prospective residents)

    Summary review

    Overall impression: The review summaries present a strongly mixed but distinctive picture of Montclare Senior Residences of Avalon Park. A substantial portion of reviewers report very positive experiences — praising staff, cleanliness, modern apartments, plentiful activities, transportation support, and a friendly community — and many explicitly say they would recommend the community. At the same time, a smaller but significant set of reviews describe serious negative experiences, including severe customer-service failures, pest infestations, a prolonged power outage, and management unresponsiveness. These contrasting reports create a polarized overall sentiment: many residents appear highly satisfied, while others report problems that materially affect safety and quality of life.

    Care quality and staff: The dominant positive theme concerns staff and direct resident support. Multiple summaries call staff "perfect," "very helpful," "friendly," and "professional," and note strong assistance with transportation, errands, and doctor appointments. There are also mentions of a pleasant director and good public relations in the new building. However, this is sharply contrasted by separate reviews describing "worst customer service," rude staff who hang up calls, refusal to accept bed deliveries, and unwillingness to provide management contact information. Additionally, reviewers report onboarding confusion tied to staff changes, and at least some residents feel their special needs are not being accommodated. The pattern suggests wide variability in staff behavior and responsiveness — excellent experiences for some residents and serious lapses for others, possibly tied to turnover or inconsistency in management practices.

    Facilities, maintenance, and safety: Many reviewers emphasize positive physical attributes: clean common areas and apartments, modern rooms and studios in the new building, attractive décor, great views, accessible design for elderly and disabled residents, and generally reasonable rent. Some summaries specifically state pride in the property and good maintenance and safety. Conversely, there are alarming reports of rodent and bedbug infestations and a prolonged power outage. These are significant red flags because they directly affect resident health, comfort, and trust. While some reviewers explicitly praise maintenance and safety, the presence of pest reports and an extended outage indicates that facility management and environmental controls have had at least occasional critical failures.

    Activities, community, and amenities: Activity programming and community life are frequently praised. Reviews list many on-site activities, including jazz festivals and guided tours, and mention an active senior population and a community van for group transport. These positives contribute to repeated recommendations and apparent resident satisfaction. The combination of amenities, events, and accessible transportation is a clear strength and appears to be a major reason many residents are pleased with Montclare.

    Management and notable patterns: Management emerges as the most divisive theme. Some reviews explicitly describe "attentive management," while others call management "atrocious" and complain about refusal to provide appropriate contacts. The co-existence of strong praise and severe criticism points to inconsistent management performance over time or across different teams/shifts. Onboarding confusion due to staff changes was mentioned, which could explain variability in service quality. Another notable pattern is demand: several reviews indicate no availability and a waiting list, suggesting the community is popular despite the reported problems. This demand may mask service issues for some prospective residents, making direct due diligence important.

    Conclusion: In sum, Montclare Senior Residences of Avalon Park receives many enthusiastic endorsements for staff, cleanliness, modern units, activities, transportation support, and accessibility — factors that create a strong, active community and a generally positive daily living environment for many residents. However, the presence of serious complaints (pest infestations, a prolonged power outage, episodes of very poor customer service, and inconsistent management responsiveness) cannot be ignored. The reviews indicate polarized experiences rather than uniform quality. Prospective residents and families should weigh the highly praised aspects against the reported serious incidents, and consider confirming current pest control measures, backup power and emergency procedures, staff turnover and management responsiveness, and accommodations for special needs before making a decision.

    Location

    Map showing location of Montclare Senior Residences of Avalon Park

    About Montclare Senior Residences of Avalon Park

    Montclare Senior Residences of Avalon Park is an apartment community at 1200 E 78th St in Chicago's Grand Crossing neighborhood, designed for seniors aged 55 and over, though some services and units specifically require residents to be 62 or older, and it's mostly home to older adults from Chicago's African American community and is focused on low-income seniors, providing both independent and assisted living options in two seven-story buildings with a total of 224 units that include spacious studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom layouts, many of which are accessible. Residents can expect private apartments with multiple floor plans, private rooms, full modern kitchens with full-size appliances including dishwashers, and individually controlled heating and air conditioning. Montclare runs with a family-owned atmosphere, so you'll find the staff friendly, helpful, and committed to hospitality, helping residents with supportive care, including assistance for activities like bathing, dressing, and medication management.

    There are many on-site amenities available, like a beauty and barber shop, large shared laundry rooms, free shuttle van service to grocery stores, a business center, library, fitness center, arts and crafts room, and a spacious community room for social events or watching the big-screen TV, plus outdoor spaces such as a private courtyard, patio, and pavilion for recreational activities or simply getting some fresh air. Residents can join plenty of social activities, enjoy nutritious meals made by a professional chef with dietary accommodations, and use storage lockers if they need extra space. There's transportation offered to help get to doctor appointments, local shopping, and other errands around Chicago, plus easy access to Metra trains for trips farther out, and residents will receive 24-hour emergency medical alert pendants and have access to a medical consultation room if anything urgent comes up. Housekeeping, laundry services, and medication management add to the convenience, while residents are responsible for their own gas, electric, and water bills.

    The complex itself doesn't allow for pets except with approval, and parking is limited, with one space available per unit included in the rent, though details about garages aren't clearly listed. Montclare stands out for legal protections, supporting seniors of all backgrounds and providing strong policies against discrimination, including protections for the LGBTQ community based on orientation and gender identity. A Project Based Voucher program is offered for rental assistance, with 34 units reserved for people age 62 and up and 204 units eligible overall, making housing more affordable for many. The buildings have elevators, and both male and female residents are welcome. Montclare is off the market right now on Trulia, meaning it's not currently listed for rent or sale, and it's managed by Pacific Management, Inc. as well as MR Properties, LLC, with a network of senior living advisors ready to help families through the application process. The community has earned a 4.0-star rating from residents and visitors, and with amenities catering to physical, social, mental, and emotional needs, Montclare's focused on providing a gracious, safe lifestyle for seniors with plenty of activities and support as needed, so people looking for a friendly senior living apartment in Chicago's South Side might find it a comfortable choice for living independently or with some help.

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