As one of two luxury properties on Wilson Street to make our Top 10 List for Best Luxury Apartment Rentals in Downtown Madison, 151 East Wilson boasts a phenomenal location squarely in the heart of Madison’s First Settlement neighborhood.
Location
Exiting 151 East Wilson’s front door, you’ll find yourself at the base of King Street, with entertainment and dining options within a short 2-block span which include The Great Dane Pub, Tipsy Cow, Lucille, Nattspil, and The Majestic Theater (which also hosts the annual Live On King Street outdoor music festival).
After traversing the 2 blocks up King Street between 151 East Wilson and the State Capitol, you’ll be directly on the capitol square where you have even more dining destinations to choose from: Graze, L’Etoile, Colectivo Coffee on the Square, Tavernakaya, The Old Fashioned… we could keep going, but you get the idea.
Common Area Amenities
The on-site fitness center has enough equipment to get a solid cardio or weight training session in. Some dumbbells are available, along with a decent selection of cardio machines (two treadmills, two ellipticals, a spin bike, a recumbent bike, and a rowing machine).
Beyond that, a cable crossover machine, and a handful of medicine balls are about all you’ll have to work with.
Save for one common area patio with a handful of high-top tables off the back side of the property overlooking Lake Monona, there really aren’t any usable common areas or amenities in the building.
We found the lack of any common area amenities at 151 East Wilson to be a bit surprising, considering the property opened in 2018, well after other properties in the area began introducing club rooms, rooftop decks, and other now-commonplace amenities.
Pet-Friendly
Dogs and cats are welcome at 151 East Wilson. Pet rent for 1 dog is $50/month, while 1 cat is $25/month.
There is a 2 animal limit in each apartment, and all animals must be spayed/neutered. For dogs, breed restrictions are enforced, and a weight limit of 50 pounds is also in place. Owners of larger dog breeds may need to look elsewhere for a luxury rental community in downtown Madison which allows larger breeds.
Apartment Finishes
Given the lack of common area amenities for residents to use, we anticipated that the apartments themselves would need to have a finish package more similar to what you might find in a condominium community. And for the most part, the individual units delivered for us, both with the finishes as well as with the amount of space you get in each apartment.
In the kitchen, thick white quartz countertops with dramatic grey marbling tied together the dark walnut flat-panel cabinetry, white tile backsplash, and stainless steel appliances extremely well.
The tone of the wood-look laminate flooring helps to warm up the main living areas, and oversized windows let in a good amount of natural light. We also liked that gas ranges comes standard in each and every apartment.
The apartment views either hit the bullseye or are virtually nonexistent. In units facing towards Lake Monona (as seen in the image above), the vistas more than make up for any shortcomings elsewhere at the property. The downtown views facing King Street and the State Capitol are also quite stunning, and we loved how most of the outdoor balconies are quite large in comparison to other luxury apartment communities in the neighborhood.
That being said, there are quite a few apartments in the building which face directly towards the neighboring Marina condo community next door. Apartments with this unfortunate southwest exposure (as seen in the above image) have significantly less natural light to accompany their view of the corrugated metal siding of the neighboring Marina condos.
The developers of 151 East Wilson did the best they could to find the highest and best use of this particular parcel of land, but this constraint of their finished product is worth being aware of before touring 151 East Wilson.
Pricing
151 East Wilson offers Studios, 1-Bedrooms, 2-Bedrooms, 2 Bedrooms + Den, and 3-Bedroom apartments. Pricing as of March 2024 is listed here:
- Studios ($1,350 – $1,500/mo)
- 1-Bedrooms ($1,650 – $2,235/mo)
- 2-Bedrooms ($2,470 – $3,850/mo)
- 2-Bedroom + Den ($2,900 – $4,350/mo)
- 3-Bedrooms ($3,500 – $4,950/mo)
Who Should Live Here
Downtown Dining and Entertainment Junkies
Being on the east side of the state capitol building at the base of King Street gives foodies and concert-goers alike an almost unlimited level of access to the happenings in and around downtown Madison.
Whether you’re grabbing dinner at the Great Dane Pub, catching a concert at the Majestic Theater, or grabbing some produce at the weekend farmer’s market on the square, there are only a handful of other properties in all of downtown Madison which are as close to the capitol square as 151 East Wilson.
Anyone Who Needs An Incredible View of Lake Monona
If you’re a sucker for a phenomenal view, the apartments facing Lake Monona are about as good as lake views get in downtown Madison. With the lack of common area amenities in the building, you can often get a bit more apartment for your money than compared to other luxury properties which might have a more robust selection of common area amenities.
If you’re looking for a building with similarly amazing views of Lake Monona, as well as a more robust selection of common area amenities, we’d recommend checking out The Adria or The Moment (slated to open in the first half of 2025), both of which are on the opposite side of the capitol square down Wilson street to the west.
