Mondrian CityPlace Apartments – Insider Review

LOCATION

As you enter Uptown Dallas on Blackburn (the first exit for Uptown Dallas from Central/75), you immediately notice the 21 story Mondrian Cityplace high rise building on your right. Completed in 2006, it gives an almost icon like feel to the area… when you see it, you know that you are in a new area of town that is inviting…with the West Village Uptown area being directly connected to it. The building is not right next to 75, but a block away, so it has a good distance shield for blocking any potential noise from the 75 freeway. But, it’s also nice to be this close to the highway (without being too close) to get to either work or downtown, making work life easier!

The location is unique…and very nice! The first thing I love about this location is an obvious one…it’s right across the street from the West Village shopping center. With all of the restaurants and shops here, this makes life fun and sooo convenient, maybe addictingly so. (Read our blog to see more about the West Village shopping center.) Picture built in entertainment for your friends or inlaws when they come in…no car needed. Super sweet!

Another great location perk that is less noticeable are the neighborhood feel shops and services on the first floor all around the large Mondrian Cityplace grounds. There are attractive brick and cement sidewalks leading to attractive local shops for Chinese food, Italian, yogurt, and even things like drive through dry cleaners and yoga services. These really contribute a lot to the neighborhood feel.

And, the recently constructed CityPlace West Dart station is also almost directly across the street. What this does is give you the ability to use the DART Rail, which can take you quickly and directly into Downtown Dallas or alternately can take you north. It also gives you quick access to the Uptown Dallas Trolley, which gives you FREE access to the main parts of Uptown Dallas. The Uptown Dallas Trolley is open on the weekend nights until typically 12, making it very attractive to use instead of a taxi, at least for early activities.

A rundown of the WALKING DISTANCE to key Uptown Dallas attractions from Mondrian at Cityplace apartments:

• Uptown Dallas Trolley – It is across the street from it, about 2 minutes walking distance walking distance to the trolley at the CityPlace Uptown station
• Katy Trail – The Mondrian at Cityplace apartments is about 7 minutes walking to the entrance on Blackburn/Turtle Creek just past the West Village
• West Village – This location is right across the street from the West VIllage
• Night Life in Mid-Section – This location is not really walkable to the cluster of night clubs in mid Uptown Dallas along McKinney, but is about 7 minutes away driving.

SOCIAL SCENE

The high rise gives the Mondrian Cityplace a classier feel overall. When you walk into the building, there isn’t loud music blaring and it has more a business feel…at least in the entrance portion. It feels more relaxed in the back section where you can sit and chill on the couches.

There are very large and open spaces in the amenities, which support having many guests and neighbors. This includes not only the obvious such as the pool, but the other amenities such as the huge community center, the 30 foot ceiling workout complex (it’s GREAT to run on the treadmill and see what’s going on in the West Village through the glass walls) and more.

Mondrian Cityplace manages the retail space that is on the first floor of the outer grounds, as mentioned above. This also gives a great social connectedness and neighborhood feel, along with some yummy food choices!

The concierge helps to get to know where everything is in the building (and that’s not easy, considering how large the grounds are). The elevators are secured, but everybody takes the same set of elevators, so you have plenty of opportunities to meet other neighbors.

There is a monthly free brunch held on the property on Sundays. But, beyond that, there aren’t scheduled events to help with meeting your neighbors.

APARTMENT

There are 2 types of apartments in the Mondrian Cityplace , so all things are DEFINITELY NOT equal in the Mondrian. The building is actually composed of a main tower and then connected to long 2 story buildings. The more traditional apartments are in the MAIN TOWER.

However, the 2 story LOFTS are in the long 2 story buildings…picture loft after loft after loft.

So, it’s like having 2 different complexes in the same area.  These have very different feels…so I will do my best to tell you the differences!

Main Tower

The Main Tower building can be more elegant…and expensive! The Main Tower building also can give you those wonderful DOWNTOWN VIEWS, starting with about the 5^th floor. The Main Tower includes secured and air conditioned hallways, with elevator access, etc. That air conditioning is very nice for the summer time, because it can get hot in July here!

The apartments in the Main Tower are more traditional…and huge! They are typically very large and have ample space in all parts of the apartment, including the living room, kitchen, bedrooms and the CLOOOSSSEEETTTS! Nice closets! The standard units have carpet in the outer living room area. There are some units that have upgraded hardwoods as well, but they are fewer.

The kitchen is very functional and has the expected “blingness” ( J ) of Uptown Dallas, but perhaps more subtle. Typically including dark granite countertops, stainless steel refrigerator, thick wood cabinets, large tile flooring, etc.

The living room is very expansive and features almost wall to ceiling windows. This creates great warmth and totally makes the environment light and bright. There was a nice door to a decent space patio here as well.

I found the bedrooms to be huge and with plenty of space for a king or queen bed, along with other furniture. I think the Mondrian wanted you to know that you were in Texas…everything is bigger here!

You have the ability to create your own accent wall here. I found the color choice for the accent wall was a bit much, with a dark red that made me think that we were in a dive pasta restaurant. But, then again, I love me some spaghetti!

Side Loft Buildings

The 2 story side buildings, which hold the lofts, are a much different feel than the main building. There are pluses and minuses to each feel.

Several pluses to the Loft Buildings:

• Well, it’s a LOFT! 2 story lofts in Uptown Dallas are scarce, make that almost non-existent. The loft lifestyle can be fun and the space is great.
• Concrete floors with huge ceilings… perfect for art work or doubling a massive temporary projection screens for amazing super bowl parties!
• The interior features are attractive, particularly on the first floor, with the large kitchen granite islands that are perfect for parties and so much space to work with
• You are able to more quickly out of the building and it leads quickly to the pool
• In some cases, you can look from your 2^nd story patio right into some restaurants (not bars). This gives a more neighborhood feel. There is this really good Italian place that will make you fat…if you love Italian like me, this could be heaven.
• The lofts are a little cheaper, better value for the money, while still being in this high rise.

Some negatives to the LOFT buildings:

• The hallways leading to them are not air conditioned. So, the summer months can be painful (and maybe stinky?) when you have to go through enclosed buildings with concrete hallways.
• They are not true “character” lofts if you are looking for an older building that is redone, with brick walls, etc. These are just lofts in function, and are recently built.
• The 2^nd floors are not truly loft style, with a carpeted bedroom(s), more traditional bathroom spaces, etc.
• You will get to know fewer neighbors if you live in one of these buildings. There aren’t a lot of the lofts in each building. It will be harder to get to known your neighbors in the TOWER even though you do share the same amenities
• The lofts are not as secure because they have direct street access in some cases.

That being said, I like that the Mondrian Cityplace offers BOTH choices and you can pick which style you like.

AMENITIES

The amenities of a building as large and with as large grounds as the Mondrian are overall strong, and almost never ending. The Mondrian Cityplace definitely takes good care of its tenants. Not only with the amount of amenities, but with the space devoted typically to the amenities. It’s just Texas big in all ways.

Walking up to the gym is almost like seeing a big present box and not knowing what is inside. The door is accessible through a hallway that hides any view into the gym, so you don’t know what to expect when you see the small “Fitness Center” sign and door (which must be access by key fob given to tenants only). When you open the door, it is almost like stepping into a Willie Wonka trick room (if you are not a fan of Johnny Depp, then forget it)…it is just HUGE.

The gym ceiling looks to be about 30 feet tall, and includes concrete poles, one total mirrored wall (important for hard core weight lifters!), a long row of treadmills, plenty of machines and a collection of dumbbells, yoga balls and other gadgets. The treadmills look out through very tall slanted ceilings directly on to the first floor of the street. This is a GREAT view and makes for a fun time using it, especially at night. There is also an almost separated work out room that is perfect for a private session with a personal trainer, and comes with yoga mats.

I’ve already mentioned the large interior areas for lounging, as well as the full service concierge. I didn’t mention a closed office business center which really used to be one of the leasing manager’s offices, complete with desk, chairs, etc. It’s free for anyone to use and has full wi-fi as well.

The pool has flair. It has almost endless chairs on the sides and has grilling pits to enjoy, and some shaded areas as well. It’s large as well…I am thinking this is one of the top 2 longest pools in Uptown Dallas. The pool has a peculiar non rectangle shape…it still looks fine but I don’t know quite why they made it into that shape.

Must love dogs? Then, you are in luck here…the Mondrian caters to dogs, even larger ones. They have a very nice INTERIOR dog park, and only a handful of residences in Uptown Dallas have that feature. The pet park is actually located on the top parking floor, open to the outside. This makes it convenient and safe to walk your dog even at night.

There is included free parking in the 5 level parking garage for residents, and it is secured. (The pet park takes up a small part of the 5^th level.) There is also parking for guests that is free, on the first floor where residents park. There is also retail parking in the Mondrian as well.

The directly connected retail area adds the following, within 1 minute walking:

• Dry cleaners
• Yoga studio
• 2 restaurants (Chinese and Italian)
• frozen yogurt
• Great local coffee shop
• Several other places as well

A few picky things on the “wish list” for the Mondrian at Cityplace apartments would include:

– With a luxury high rise, they should include a Washer/dryer, not just connections

– The pool appears to be just a little dated. They need to revamp it a little bit.

– The fitness center could use a bit more weight equipment…it certainly has the room for it

SUMMARY

The Mondrian Cityplace apartments provide a good mix between traditional high rise and more relaxed living. The large floorplans will give plenty of space to live and relax. The even larger amenities give more than enough equipment and facilities to explore, meet people and stay fit.

The location is very nice, with both the West Village and local neighborhood restaurants all within VERY quick walking distance…along with convenient and easy access to 75/Central.

The Mondrian Cityplace is a very reasonably priced experience for a high rise, especially in comparison to some much more expensive choices in Uptown Dallas. However, the Mondrian is somewhat more expensive, than most other residences in Uptown Dallas. This is due to the higher level of amenities, including the true concierge style services. Those who are comfortable with less amenities or don’t need a concierge service may find other choices in Uptown Dallas may suit their tastes better. But, then again, the prices on the 2 story lofts here are very reasonable.

If you are wanting to enjoy a high rise experience in the lower to medium end for Uptown Dallas, and want to be able to walk to a great lifestyle in Uptown Dallas (including the West Village), the Mondrian Cityplace is a place you want to consider.