Trojan Plaza was the first place I stayed after coming to the US, so I had a lot of worries and hesitations in the beginning. However, the place turned out to be extremely nice, clean and well-maintained with wonderful personnel. The on-site manager, Chris is very responsible, professional, and friendly. Whenever I had some random question or an issue, I just texted him and got a reply in a couple of minutes and most of the problems would be solved in a day. Also, as it was my first time in the US, I did not know that place would be unfurnished. Chris seeing my surprised face calmed me down and provided most of the furniture I need for free. I really liked my experience in my first year, so decided to stay for the 2nd year too. So, I summarize the pros and cons of staying at Trojan Plaza: Pros: 1. Very affordable price for a studio in a USC neighborhood. 2. Safe and convenient location: within DPS zone, 10 min walk to USC campus, 5-10 min walk to groceries like Ralphs, Target, Trader Joe's, 10 min drive to DTLA. 3. Extremely friendly, professional, and nice personnel. 4. Pool, basketball court, patio area. Cons: - The room gets hot in the summer and very cold in the winter despite the okayish outside temperatures. - Occasionally, there are loud parties as the place is the USC neighborhood where most of the students stay. read more

I have been living here for 5 years and it is great. The street is beautiful. This price for this location is ideal! Managers are always quick in response to my requests and questions. Chris, our on-site manager, is really nice and understanding. I definitely recommend. read more

I was extremely lucky to have found a vacancy at Trojan Plaza after having to relocate twice before finding a place I could comfortably call home the past 2 years. Less than a 10 minute's walk from USC, and a 10-15 minute drive to Ktown or DTLA, the complex is located in a very convenient area. It is within the USC DPS patrol zone so it is safe, especially with DPS standing watch on the street corners at night. Not only does the building have a nice pool in the back for tenants to enjoy, and underground parking, but the entire complex is also always well-maintained and tidy. Chris is an awesome on-site manager. Whenever issues arise, I would send him an email or text and get a response almost immediately after. He's also super friendly so don't hesitate to say hi if you ever see him around the complex! I'm sad to have to move out and wish I'd found this place sooner! read more

I love living in Trojan Plaza. The complex comes with a pool (super awesome for those hot days), half basketball court, and a patio area. The complex is always kept clean and tidy. Also, the location is unbeatable. It's on Ellendale Place, which is one of the best streets to live on near campus. It's safe and conveniently located one street over from Menlo Avenue (house party central). Probably the best part about this building is the live-in manager Chris. He's a pretty cool guy who works hard to make his tenants happy. He's really helpful in fixing issues that I have. I shoot a simple text and he gets back to me right away. If he's around the building, he'll come fix the issue immediately. If not, he'll come fix it later that day. I wish that I would never have to move out because it's going to be a hard life without this handy person around. After dealing with numerous different property management companies and individuals, none compare to Chris. He's awesome and has great taste in music. read more

My sister and I did not enjoy living here! I'm not quite sure why this place has gotten such great reviews. The most convenient part about this apartment was the location. As a student, it was easy to commute to and from campus. The street itself is also very nice, and felt very safe. However, this particular apartment complex was not the best living experience. My sister and I's least favorite part about living here was the landlord, Chris. He was very immature, unprofessional, and slow in responding to maintenance issues about the apartment. He once sent my sister a very callous text message after she requested that he assist us with our less-than-satisfactory Internet connection. He told her that Internet was not included in the rent and so made it sound like it wasn't his problem. That's funny, because one of the biggest selling points on their website is that wireless Internet is complimentary. There was also an episode in which our apartment did not have clean water for two-three days. There was also sewage water backing up in the sink. Chris was very slow in fixing this problem. Excuse me, but after a day or two, I would like to have clean water to drink and cook, as well as a functioning shower. Chris would also try to blame the maintenance issues on us - when the water was not working, he asked my sister if she had put anything down the drain, multiple times. Twice, the power in my bedroom went out and he asked me if I had been messing with the circuit box. Yes sir, I am going to go and mess with electrical equipment when I have no idea how it works. That brings me to my next complaint - the wireless Internet was AWFUL! It was slow and would stop functioning altogether at multiple points during the evening. As a student who had many assignments to turn in via email and Blackboard, this was very inconvenient. Don't believe it when they say free wireless is included; you'll have to pay for your own or suffer the consequences like we did. If you have a Roku box and wish to watch Netflix or Hulu, good luck getting through five minutes of one episode. The neighbors were incredibly noisy, ignorant, and disrespectful. There was a house behind the apartment complex that threw wild parties and played loud music at all hours of the night. Again, as a student, this was very inconvenient as it made it difficult to study. Another thing I hated about this place was their so-called air conditioning. Do not believe this! There is one tiny unit in the living room area. If you're in the bedroom, you won't feel the air conditioning at all. It might as well not even be included in the apartment. The insulation of the walls was also very poor. You'll end up sweating to death or shivering at night, depending on the outside temperature. This was our issue in a one bedroom apartment; perhaps this isn't as big of a problem in a studio. Also - my bike got stolen! It was locked to a rack inside of the apartment complex. I noticed it was gone one day, so I told Chris and he said he would check the security cameras. I never heard back from him and so had to walk to class every day for the rest of the school year. Overall, this living experience was not very pleasant. USC friends, I suggest you check out the other places on Ellendale. If you enjoy noisy neighbors, Internet that does not work, and an incompetent landlord, then Trojan Plaza is the place for you. read more

I have lived at Trojan Plaza for nearly a year now and renewed my lease for another year because I've had such a great experience. The studios are just the right size, with plenty of closet and kitchen space to suit the needs of any college student. The basketball court and pool are great to have around for whenever you have friends over, and the garage parking is easy to access from the street and secure. Neighbors are friendly and most importantly for sleep-deprived college students, they are quiet! The roof of the complex was also replaced just a few months ago, and this means that the 2nd floor units like mine are throughly insulated against the SoCal sun and temps are kept relatively stable throughout the day. Ellendale itself have been ideal for me because it's inhabited mostly by older undergrads/graduate students, meaning that noise is kept at a minimum as everyone is usually too busy studying to party. That being said, the adjacent streets are vibrant with student life should one have the desire to take a study break. I've always possessed that attitude that I'd rather live close to "the party" rather than in it, and Ellendale has been my metaphorical island in that regard. Regarding safety- I have never, ever felt unsafe in or around Trojan Plaza. There are yellow jackets at the top of Ellendale, as well as the neighboring streets such as West 29th and Menlo. DPS almost always has a patrol car sitting just a few complexes down the street during night and this keeps Ellendale nice and mellow. The fences that surround the complex are high and the gated entries always lock securely. Regarding management, Chris is unquestionably the best apartment manager I've ever had in my four years around USC. He is professional, attentive, kind, patient, and an all around great person that genuinely cares about his residents. Whenever I've had a maintenance issue and emailed him the details, he would always have it fixed in a timely manner. One of the many instances where I was particularly impressed with Chris was during the construction phase of the new roof. It was Saturday evening and there was a torrential downpour occurring and despite the temporary seal the roofers had placed over the construction to protect our units, some water had managed to seep through by brute force into my unit's window frame and started dripping down the wall. I texted Chris letting him know and I swear he was at my door not even 60 seconds later to fix it. Despite receiving dozens if not hundreds of text messages daily from his residents with maintenance requests and questions, he still pays attention to his residents needs. And just to be clear, the new roof is completely water/heat/wind proof and there have been no issues since construction was finished last year- just thought it was a great example of an excellent apartment manager. If you're looking for a quiet studio to hang your hat after enduring the hustle and bustle of LA all day, Trojan Plaza is the place. read more

I've lived in this apartment for over 2 years during my undergraduate years at USC and it has been one of my best experiences living in LA. The studios are very clean and minimal while being spacious at the same time. Price wise it is also very affordable (one of the nicer studio apartments with affordable price). Manager is very diligent and management is quick and up to date. It's one of the safer areas of USC so I highly recommend this place if you want a place where you can live alone. read more

I have lived at Trojan Plaza for almost 2 years. I needed a private place where I could work a full time job from home. I spend several hours a day on the phone with clients which makes a quiet environment a paramount requirement for me. I have never once had any disruptions during the work day OR at night when studying for grad school. If you reviews about Trojan Plaza, you will no doubt come across people exclaiming how amazing Chris is. He lives on premise, is incredibly attentive, will never you leave hanging, and is an all around awesome guy. Once you meet Chris you will immediately understand that he takes pride in his job and truly cares about making Trojan Plaza the place you are grateful to live at. The complex is always kept in top shape, you will see people here every week making sure the landscape is tended to and the complex is clean. I cannot stress this enough, if you happen to be lucky enough to find a vacancy here, do not pass it up. As I said I work from home, so I am always around. I will be here until at least August 2016. If you happen to stop buy to check out the complex Chris, ask him to come say hi. read more

Nice, clean and safe place! Public transportation, restaurants, grocery and USC gate 5 are within walking distance. I've been lived in this place for 3 yrs, rooms are bright, neighbors are nice. Manger Chris is very responsive, maintenance staff is always here. The apt also holds weekend afternoon party open for all tenants a couple of times every year. Good place for USC students who want to be close to school and stay in a quiet at night time and safe apartment. read more

Lived here for two years and really enjoyed my stay. Common areas were well maintanted and management always responded quickly to any of my inquiries. Chris, the manger, even went out of his way to find me a year after I moved out to inform me that I never picked up my security check. I highly recommend the building. read more

Ellendale Place is in my personal opinion the best place to live around USC campus. It's conveniently located right next to Ralphs and at a 10 minute walk distance from USC. The area is so quiet and serene, not to mention the majestic view you are greeted with when you turn the corner into Ellendale. Trojan Plaza is absolutely the most eye-catching building (again, biased lol) among the many housing facilties along the street. It's decorated with colorful flowers and the building itself is pretty. The building is a collection of studios and a few one bedrooms. It's like a little community with rooms all around the main courtyard area. Everyone keeps to themselves and therefore its a very peaceful environment. There's a swimming pool, basketball court, bike racks, and free parking& internet. Internet used to be bad but has now gotten much better since they installed a new wireless. The manager Chris takes care of all of your living concerns, such as complaints and repairs. There's one negative review on Chris below but I personally have only gotten good impressions from him during my two year stay here. He's very personable and friendly, and is quick to become your friend rather than a manager. He takes about half day~a day to get to your requests, but he always responds immediately to texts. He's lenient about a lot of things, super chill, goes out of his way to help you out, always energetic and sociable. One of my friend even used to just chill with him for fun lol. He also holds events like free taco trucks or in-n-out. He's overall a good, hard-working manager. Living in Trojan Plaza has been a very pleasant experience. Definitely enjoyed here more than West 27th Place. The only downside was the cost compared to the quality of building (it seems a bit old) but i guess that what you pay for living in a studio around USC area. I would recommend this building to anyone looking for a quiet place with good vibes. read more

I lived in Trojan Plaza for one year and it was the best living experience I had while attending USC. For a great price, I lived in a studio and had my own parking spot. The complex is well taken care of, quiet and secure. The landlord, Chris, is awesome and very responsive to any questions or concerns I had (e.g. I thought I had locked myself out of my apartment and after a quick text to Chris, he was ready to help me after I figured out my key was hiding in my purse). I highly recommend Trojan Plaza to anyone looking for a peaceful living situation, awesome place! read more

Trojan Plaza is truly an ideal housing option for USC students, especially those in their last couple of years at school who love amenities and community living but don't feel like sharing a bedroom at one of the housing-project-like monstrosities on the east side of campus (I'm looking at you, Gateway). Studios and 1BR's that are pretty spacious and customizable, spectacular location on the best part of Ellendale (easy 15-20 min walk or 5 min bike to campus, 3 min walk to Menlo), a swimming pool and basketball court combine to create a very relaxed and congenial space. The manager Chris is truly awesome - easy to get in touch with if you forget your keys, easy to talk to when you're hanging around the complex, and constantly looking for new ways to make the overall living experience at Trojan Plaza better. They've recently replaced railings, redone the driveways in their COST-INCLUDED covered parking lot, repaved the basketball court, planted a bunch of new flowers in the courtyard, and I'm sure a dozen other projects since I moved out a couple months ago. Incredibly easy to live there, definitely the best value I've ever had at USC housing. read more