Birge House
Birge House offers large, furnished one-bedroom apartments in an eight-story building. They are easily big enough to share: bedrooms are appx. 245 sq. ft. and the living rooms are almost 200 sq. ft. There are just four apartments on each floor, allowing for a quiet, private living experience.
Ratings & Reviews
Resident Reviews
|Recommended: YesGood for student housing — I like the place I live but if I hadn’t had a remodeled apartment it would have been awful. The place is old and it still shows. Windows are dirty, mold in the bathroom was covered up rather than fixed elevator is gross. But, I don’t feel that I am getting ripped off like I have at other places so that is nice. Really wish rent could be paid before the day it is due. Rent is posted and due on the same day which is very difficult
|Recommended: YesGreat Place — The units are very spacious and clean. The kitchens are fully functional with lots of storage space. The AC is very responsive and overall, it's been a great experience.
|Recommended: YesGlad to Have Picked the Birge House — When looking for a solid apartment complex with great ratings, a good location in regards to UW-Madison, and making sure to make the space feel like home, the Birge House was able to fit all of those and more.
|Recommended: NoThis Place is a Hellscape — I've genuinely never seen a property and landlord be so remarkably bad as to actively anger me as Steve Brown and Birge House has.
The property is a wreck trash litters the grounds around the apartment, there's currently a giant hole in the ceiling of the trash area, I don't think the the building has been updated in nearly 50 years. You may be thinking well at least it functions well as a basic shelter, right and I'd be able to tell you you're wrong. The lock on the entrance to the building will regularly be broken for months at a time, the windows are practically peeling off the walls they're attached, causing us to have to resort to covering them with seran wrap just to achieve some basic level of insulation, the walls barely provide any sound dampening, exacerbated by neighbors who got an emotional support puppy that barks all hours of the night and day. Parking is a free for all competition of trying to get the LEAST bad spot, since in an attempt to min max their profits the cars are packed dangerously close together with barely any room to back out. What if someone who doesnt live there takes a spot Well sucks, because the towing company listed on the plaque has either changed their number, gone out of business, or never existed. I'm inclined to believe the last option, as when I called the office due to this exact scenario, they told me there's nothing we can do. They charge you 100 dollars for this.
The staff is ridiculously disrespectful and incompetent, usually brushing you off unless it will somehow make them money. When we moved in, they had put bar stools in our apartment we did not want. They assured us they could be taken out for a NOMINAL 40 removal fee. For stools. That THEY put here. Once after a snow storm the night before, we asked when they would plow the parking lot since it was already 2pm and the snow was deep enough we couldn't get out. We received a reply two days later saying we had to wait until it stopped snowing to plow The snow melted on its own.
Last thing, expect bugs. A LOT of bugs.
Steve Brown is everything wrong with landlords, and modern housing, and for what they charge I HIGHLY recommend you look at literally any other property and leasing company in the area.
|Recommended: YesCouldn't really ask for more — As someone who has rented from slumlords in the past, Steve Brown has been a welcome change.
|Recommended: YesQuality property, ideal location — It is great, numerous windows for natural light, plenty of space for one occupant, and ample space for two. A short walk to the university campus and relatively close to grocery stores.
|Recommended: YesSpacious and nice — Nice building, slight odor when I arrived cleared up after vacuuming . Scratches here and there but overall quite nice.
|Recommended: YesWell-kept older apartment in quiet area — Convenient location with responsive staff. Much quieter than other campus areas. Some of the fixtures are older but generally well maintained.
|Recommended: YesWonderful place to live — This apartment is perfect for someone wanting to live near campus downtown but wants bit of space from the commotion. While the apartment is really great, the best part is the staff. I have had to reach out for a few different reasons and I’ve always gotten a response and solution from them within hours. I am extremely impressed with their professionalism and willingness to help
|Recommended: YesGreat location, nice furnishings, huge bedroom — Really nice one-bedroom with a great kitchen. Living alone or with another would be very comfortable. And right on the bus line, with perfect access to campus, the UW Hospital, and more
|Recommended: YesGreat place to live and very friendly staff — The staff at Steve Brown Apartment is amazing They always make you feel cared. I love the apartment layout, the lighting, and it is very spacious. It's also very close to campus and in a fairly quiet area.
|Recommended: YesI love it — I really enjoy living at Birge. It's in a safe neighborhood and the apartments are nice, clean, and spacious.
|Recommended: YesIt’s good. — The bedroom is huge, just wish we had a bigger living room and kitchen.
|Recommended: YesRoomy, furnished apartments close to campus — Very nice apartments. You can hear some of your neighbors, especially when the person above you uses water such as showering, etc. and you can hear noises in the halls. Parking is convenient when you lease, but the stalls are very small.
|Recommended: YesIt is good for a couple — The room is huge, the living room has space. There is a lot of cupboard room but the kitchen still feels a bit cramped-but much better than some other one bedrooms. It is expensive for a single person, but perfect for me and my significant other. The closet is big enough for the both of us and all of our clothes. There is room for our bed, a bookshelf, 2 dressers, 2 desks, and there is still a larger amount of empty space in the bedroom.There is space to live, it does not feel cramped, and it looks very nice.