In our 2024 Downtown Madison Power Rankings, The Adria was ranked as the best luxury rental community in Downtown Madison, and not by a particularly narrow margin. As one of the city’s newest additions to the luxury apartment market, The Adria has officially set a new standard for what is expected of a class A luxury apartment building in Madison.
With that, we wanted to elaborate on nine of the reasons we love The Adria, and why we think it’s second to none in Madison, Wisconsin.
#1: A Best-of-Both-Worlds Location
At only 3 blocks away from the Capitol Square, The Adria puts all of the numerous downtown establishments in and around the State Capitol right at your fingertips.
Travel 2 blocks due north along South Hamilton Street, and you’ll find tried and true Madison staples such as Genna’s Lounge and Tornado Steak House. Across the block on South Hamilton, you’ll encounter Canteen, one of Madison’s best taco spots, as well as Hook and Fade, an indoor golf lounge with simulators for year-round indoor entertainment.
From there, you’re essentially on the Capitol Square, with even more bar, shopping, and dining options. Not to mention the fact that this is where a large percentage of Downtown Madison’s government and other business office space is located. Anyone working in close proximity to the Capitol Square will have a walkable commute to work all year round.
Now, you might be tempted to think that The Adria’s best asset is its proximity to the main downtown area. You would be 100% correct in this assumption, right up until the moment you realized what #2 is on our list of reasons we love The Adria…
#2: Views of Lake Monona
From any vantage point in or around the property, The Adria offers its residents some of the best views of Lake Monona of any residential building in Downtown Madison.
Take a look at the view of Lake Monona in the image above. That’s from the Pool Terrace. Which is on the second floor of the building. The property is 10 stories tall, and the views only get better as you climb higher.
The Adria is quite literally as close to Lake Monona as the City of Madison will legally allow a building to get. By using a clever angled design to the building and rotating each apartment’s balcony so that its focal point is centered on the water, three of the four sides of the building provide absolutely stunning views of Lake Monona. This leads us to reason #3 on our list…
#3: An Exceptional Rooftop Deck
With Madison’s longstanding height ordinance limiting any buildings within a one mile radius of the Capitol building from being taller than the base of the columns which support its dome, it seems like the inclusion of rooftop decks and sky lounges which show off the variety of different views in and around the downtown isthmus would be commonplace in all of Madison’s luxury rental communities.
For reasons which we still can’t quite discern, this unfortunately hasn’t been the case at several of downtown Madison’s best luxury rental properties.
Thankfully, The Adria did not make this same mistake. Their rooftop offers true panoramic views of Lake Monona, which for our money are the best of any location in all of Madison.
The rooftop itself is parceled into three distinct and semi-private outdoor patio areas. On the southeast side of the roof closest to the lake, two separate grass viewing terraces flank a rooftop stairwell entrance. As you head away from the lake on The Adria’s rooftop, you’ll find a fenced-in dog run (also with real grass), followed by a larger terrace, complete with lounge seating and patio tables.
#4: The Best Downtown Fitness Center
The amenities at your disposal at The Adria are almost too numerous to count, but one particularly noteworthy space is their on-site fitness center. Having seen what most other luxury buildings in the area are offering, The Adria’s gym is the best we’ve encountered of any in Downtown Madison.
Cardio fiends will be pleased with the broad selection of cardio machines, including not one, but TWO stair climbers. Weightlifters will love the two separate squat racks, as well as the dumbbells (up to 75 pounds) and olympic-style barbells and rubber bumper plates. We also appreciated the selection of medicine balls and kettlebells they had available.
There is plenty of space to go around as well, so even during peak use hours, anyone looking to do some pre-or post-workout stretching shouldn’t feel too cramped. Regardless of your preferred methodology, The Adria’s gym will allow you to achieve your preferred level of fitness.
#5: Double Infrared Sauna
In addition to the fitness center, The Adria is also the only property we’ve seen anywhere in the city that has not one, but two infrared saunas. With there being 10 months out of the calendar year where Wisconsinites have a legitimate chance of seeing snow, this double dose of sauna heat is an amenity worth its weight in gold.
#6: The Solarium
Madison, deservedly, has a reputation as a very green, eco-conscious city (ranked as 2023’s #15 Greenest City in the country by WalletHub). With the natural splendor of Lake Monona steps away from The Adria, the building’s developers leaned into this green reputation and built the first – and as of this article being published – only common area solarium we’ve seen anywhere in the city.
The solarium was purposely designed to be used in a variety of different ways. The space feels as if its equal parts lounge space and library, a room designed to productivity in the most serene of surroundings.
There are two “Zoom Rooms” (a term we had not encountered previously, but one which we will be adopting liberally) and a larger conference room, each of which are fully enclosed and able to be separated from the main solarium space for those that prefer a quieter private space free from interruption.
#7: The Pool Terrace
Campus-area and majority-student apartment communities notwithstanding, The Adria is currently one of only two luxury rental communities in Downtown Madison with a swimming pool (the other being Domain).
While we don’t have anything but lovely things to say about Domain’s pool terrace and outdoor amenity space, if we had to choose between the two for where we’d prefer to hang out and soak up some sunshine next to the pool, we’d pick The Adria every time.
The pool is lit up every night with underwater LED lights, giving off a radiant blue glow. We also love the waterfall features on the side, which adds some audio ambiance while offering a bit of extra privacy to the pool deck.
#8: The Apartment Design
The apartments are clean and modern, with shallow shaker-style cabinets and upgraded finishes throughout each unit. There are several different finish packages to choose from, including:
- White cabinets with matte black hardware, black kitchen pendant lighting, and white with grey marbling quartz countertops.
- White cabinets with matte black hardware, black kitchen pendant lighting, and dark grey speckled quartz countertops.
- Walnut cabinets with brushed brass hardware, brass kitchen pendant lighting, and white with grey marbling quartz countertops.
Floor to ceiling windows anchor each and every room in the unit, letting in enormous amounts of natural light, and the translucent roller shades work well for blocking off the outside world and softening the flood of light during different times of the morning or evening.
In the bathrooms, the tilework on the floors and shower surround are just about the most modern in the city. The bathroom matte black frames around the mirrors give the bathroom an elevated look .
At The Adria though, it all comes back to the views, and there’s not a bad one in the house. Every unit in the building has an attached balcony, giving you a private outdoor space to enjoy the amazing vantage you have of Lake Monona or Downtown Madison.
#9: The Price
While certainly not the least expensive luxury apartment rentals in the city, we were surprised to see some properties on our list of 10 Best Luxury Apartments In Downtown Madison list charging more, oftentimes significantly more, and giving their residents a good deal less in return. As of the date this review was published (March 2024), here is a breakdown of The Adria’s pricing based on unit type:
- Studios ($1,715/mo)
- Alcoves ($1,840/mo)
- 1-Bedrooms ($2,125 – $2,750/mo)
- 1-Bedroom + Den ($2,750 – $3,200/mo)
- 2-Bedrooms ($3,425 – $3,935/mo)
The Adria knows the product they have and its place at the top of the market, but they are priced rather reasonably given that we believe they are the best Downtown Madison luxury rental community.
Parking in their underground climate-controlled garage starts at $185/month. Pet rent runs $25/month for 1 cat, $40/month for 2 cats, and $50/month for 1 dog. On-site storage lockers also start at $40/month per locker.
Given all of these factors, if you choose to rent at The Adria, we’re of the opinion that you’ll be getting your full money’s worth, if not even a good bit more.
Bonus Tips!
Neighbor Building Under Construction
If you are planning on renting at The Adria into 2025 or beyond, we would suggest you opt for an apartment on the southeast or southwest sides of the building, as these views will be fully panoramic and unobstructed for the foreseeable future.
Any apartments on the northeast side of The Adria could have some of their sweeping panoramic lake views obstructed beginning in 2025. A new luxury property (Moment, located at 133 West Wilson Street) is currently under construction only 2 buildings over to the east.
Once completed, Moment will be at least as tall, if not taller, than The Adria. While it won’t impact views looking out towards the lake from your balcony or from some vantage points in the living rooms/bedrooms of some floorplans, you should be mindful of how Moment will potentially impact your apartment’s view.
Great Views On Every Floor
Don’t go in thinking you need to have the highest floor possible in order for life at The Adria to be worth it. Due to the grading of the building along John Nolen Drive (between the building and Lake Monona), a 3rd of 4th floor apartment feels significantly higher up off the ground, and the view is still phenomenal from nearly every apartment.
Given all of these factors, if you choose to rent at The Adria, we’re of the opinion that you’ll be getting your full money’s worth, if not even a good bit more.
