As a member of Generation X, I feel a little resentful when I hear about the swank-looking student digs that all these Gen Ys and echo boomers are moving into.
First there was University Center, the fancy South Loop high-rise with enviable city views. Now comes Loft-Right, DePaul University’s chic mid-rise development at 1237 W Fullerton Ave, which opened in the fall. When I ride the bus past Loft-Right it makes me want to say things like: “In my day, we lived in cardboard boxes that we had to build ourselves.”
Loft-Right, owned by the non-profit, MJH Foundation, offers private bedrooms in two-, three- or four-bedroom suites. Features include full kitchens, maple cabinets and ceramic countertops. Rents range from $1,025 to $1,400 a month per person. That’s a lot of Starbucks shifts for a student, although I’m guessing these kids have inherited that old baby boomer sense of entitlement and they’re counting on mom and dad to pay for it all.
The company is putting plasma TVs into the rooms to encourage kids to move in (the TVs remain the property of the building’s owner). Other building perks: 24-hour doorman, indoor parking, Wi-Fi, DVD rental machine and businesses including Starbucks, Citibank and others. According to today’s RedEye, DePaul also offers students a service called Valet Today Campus, which includes laundry and dry-cleaning delivery, move-in services, housekeeping, digital photo procesing and concierge services. Perhaps they write term papers, too.