The Academy Lofts

Far and away the best place that I have lived in Tucson! If you are thinking downtown living, look no further!My girlfriend and I moved in almost exactly one year ago. We decided we wanted to be part of the booming downtown scene, and that we also wanted to drive less. We saw a for rent sign on "The Academy Lofts" and took a look at the website. We were a little surprised at the prices, at the time they seemed kind of high for the square footage. But we decided to take a peek anyway.So glad that we did! We took one look at the space and fell in love, and signed the lease. The landlord/owner has been a pleasure to deal with, friendly and responsive. They have fixed numerous problems promptly, and you can tell they really care about their property. After living there for a year and becoming part of the community, what first looked to be possibly overpriced now feels like a bargain. Actually, the higher price is kind of an asset, it really keeps the standards of the tenants much higher than most places in town.Things I love about the Academy lofts... First and foremost, the community. Primarily 20's to 30's, young professionals, without children. We have become great friends with so many new people, and we often all hang out together. Second, location. You can't beat where we are, you can walk to 30-40 different great bars, restaurants, theaters, sporting events, etc. And finally, design and style. Two different buildings with two distinct looks, both incredibly well done. We still walk into our loft and have people say wow on a regular basis.I highly reccommend this place to anyone who is looking at renting downtown. You won't regret it!

Right when I decided to move back to Tucson, I decided I wanted to live downtown. I know that "it's not for everyone" and plenty of people warned me of the crime and tomfoolery that downtown has to offer. I will have you know that in a recent article I read stated that the most crime-ridden area of Tucson is NOT the downtown region (which is 2nd or 3rd), rather a nice little parcel of land around Oracle and Roger Roads. Anyway, after thoroughly investigating different properties downtown, I became intrigued with The Academy Lofts. Interestingly enough, these are a combination of rentals and condos for sale. The development is separated into two buildings; the "Academy" building and the "Dorm" building. Both buildings have distinct styles - the Academy building grandiose and proper, with 22 ft. ceilings, wall colors varying in shades of blues with strong wood accents. The dorm building offers more of an industrial feel, with exposed brick and beams. Both buildings ooze with history, the lofts were converted from the Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy, an old convent built in 1886. Fenton Investments purchased the building, and 120 or so years after the initial construction, the new Academy Lofts opened in June of 2006, converting an abandoned convent and school into 36 modern loft units. Ranging from 650 SF to over 1,200, no two lofts are the same. For some reason, there was a stipulation with the renovation of the Academy Building. All units were to remain leased and not available for sale for at least 5 years. The Dorm Building has all units sold but 3, which are available for rent. Due to the popularity of the space, it is pretty difficult to get a leased spot. I lucked out and happened to catch one on Craigslist from a private owner, so I feel quite fortunate! Ok, here's the deets about living there:Parking: Each unit gets only 1 covered spot in the gated area, which kind of sucks if you have two people living there. Parking is assigned, although it's a situation when people move in/out because there are various rental companies/owners involved with the various units. The parking area (and the entire property) has 14 ft walls/ wrought iron gates that make me feel quite safe. Noise: This is a great development filled with young professionals - usually extremely quiet with the occasional excitement. Overall GREAT neighbors, very friendly and funky people gather here. Makes me happy! The only downside to living downtown, hearing the train every hour or so - the first night I heard it but now I'm used to it. The city is filled with noise - the buses, the traffic along 6th ave, but it makes me feel a little less alone and I like hearing the hustle and bustle, you know?Safety: directly west of the building sits a dilapidated run-down building that is a bit of an eyesore. I wouldn't trek down the alley by your lonesome, it is peppered with homeless people. I think for the most part it's a safe area, but you do need to remember you are downtown and there is a certain level of risk.General comments: I mostly love the way that this building has been renovated. Mostly. They left the exposed brick, complimented nicely by the oak wood flooring. I understand the nostalgic quality of leaving the original crank windows - but heat and a/c just gets sucked right out of those single-paned nightmares. I would have liked upgraded windows. Also, the spaces vary so greatly in size - from 750 SF and up. I probably would have divided the space up a little more evenly, to give some of the smaller units a bedroom area. Rumor has it on the 3rd floor sits a 2,000 SF penthouse-style loft that originated as the actual chapel for the school - pretty neat huh! My last complaint about the development - it would have been nice to have a pool. I mean, this is Arizona after all - where's our oasis? We don't really have patios or any outdoor areas AT ALL - a small pool area would have just been perfect.

We lived in a loft here for 5 years on the Dorm side. There are 2 different buildings in the same complex. Both cool, old renovated loft buildings. I'd like to start off by saying, that I'm giving it 4 instead of 5 stars because of the noise issues in our building (our understanding is that the walls are much thicker in the other building). This should be expected as the building is older. However, don't let that stop you from moving in. I don't imagine it's any worse than any apartment complex and the pros far outweigh the cons.The location is amazing, within easy walking distance of downtown but, outside enough that street parking for your guests is easy. Johnny Gibson's Market and 5 Points are just few minutes walk away. Pizzeria Bianco, Cup Cafe and all the other downtown restaurants are a 10-15 minute walk, if that. Tenants each get one covered parking spot within the gated community. Which brings us to security. The community is gated and buildings entry doors are locked. Downtown Tucson can attract interesting characters and we've never had any issues living here. It's great to live this close to concert venues, clubs and all the happenings downtown without the hassle of having it right next to you (noise and all).Our unit was very cool. Bare brick walls with a very large kitchen (which I will miss), washer and dryer hookup and an oversize walk-in closet. We lived on the second floor (out of three), so there was some noise from downstairs and upstairs. But, through the years, we've always had great, considerate, friendly neighbors. Professionals and Air Force service people seem to love our complex.The units are owned and managed mostly by Fenton Management. Some are individually owned and rented. My personal experience with Fenton has been good, especially since Zach Fenton (son of the owner) has become more involved. Zach is very responsive, usually responding to questions or issues within a couple of hours or forwarding my inquiry to the appropriate person right away. We received all but, $100 of our deposit back for cleaning of the rafters (the ceilings are high) and oven within 2 weeks of moving out. We'll miss living here!

My lease just recently ended at Academy Lofts and I would not recommend living there. The management (Fenton Investment company) is rude and difficult to get in contact with, the building is old, it's in a bad area with a significant homeless population (esp. the park across the street), they have problems with cockroaches and crickets, and the coin-operated washer and dryer do not work well (it often takes three cycles for clothes to dry). They also nickeled-and-dimed me on the security deposit after I moved, waiting until the last day they could legally send it and including overcharged "estimates" for things I've never seen a landlord charge someone for.For the price, there are much better apartment options in Tucson with better landlords.

The location is great. Easily walkable to downtown, but far enough away that the inconveniences of living downtown are mostly mitigated.The building is really cool. Thick rock/block construction - I can't hear any neighbors unless I'm in the hallway, or near the windows. Hardwood floors. 15' ceilings. Gated parking is limited, but there's lots of street parking. The only things I don't like are the single pane windows, they let in so much heat and some noise, and the small floorplan. I live in a small studio and there are bigger apartments available, but at a rather significant (to me) price premium.However, I'm not a big fan of the management company. No weekend or evening hours, even for maintenance requests. Even during business hours it can be spotty whether you get somebody, or just the machine nobody seems to check. Paper rent checks. Occasional reminders the building is smoke-free, despite the obvious pot smell on the first floor.The worst of Fenton : I had no idea a rent check hadn't arrived. Somebody silently put a note on the door indicating their intent to evict. I was home at the time and the first I heard of it was when I left that evening - a Friday - with no recourse other than to call my bank and wait for Monday. I wasn't evicted, but that was their first response, to threaten legal action. If they had knocked on the door instead I could have and would have paid, but I had no idea. Now I ask the 2nd or 3rd of every month if the check hasn't been deposited, she is less than thrilled to field this question and often simply doesn't. Not a great sign when the company won't confirm whether they've received payment prior to charging late fees.Other thoughts. Washer/dryer hookups is weird in an apartment at these price points. No amenities like pool, or green spaces - there is a park nearby. There is a lot of street parking. My unit is smaller than the advertised square footage, as was another unit I looked at. The wood floors may not be in great shape, take a good look before moving in.

Although living in a Loft sounds cool, these are not. The windows rattle in the wind and only one of four actually worked. The layout is hard to manage with large open rooms and the remodeling done years ago has much not to admire. The bathrooms are small, with almost no water pressure and feels like they were original to the 1860's building. The hard wood floors are nice. There is no onsite or even close by maintenance person or any one responsible. At these prices, I expected at least some assistance with routine maintenance issues like furnace filter replacement etc. The lease was long and convoluted and had a load of non-enforceable caveats. Sign at your own risk! The management team is interested in only one thing, getting maximum rent with little management. Don't even get me started on the walls between units which were paper then! It was like living with a roommate next door.