It’s not uncommon to have heard of hidden fees and hidden agendas. But hidden houses?

For Erika Polacek, home is exactly that. Her apartment building, 509 1/2 E. Green St., is surrounded by buildings on all sides and can only be accessed by a small alley near Urban Outfitters.

“The address reminded me of the platform nine and three quarters from Harry Potter,” Polacek, junior in Media, said.

“My mail gets delivered here though, so at least the postman knows where to go.”

Although the three-story apartment complex has six one-bedroom apartments and a studio, from the outside the building looks like someone uprooted a classic suburban home and sandwiched it between city buildings.

“I didn’t even know it was here,” Polacek said. “I actually found it online because I was looking for a one-bedroom that was close to campus.”

Polacek’s neighbor, William Blanchard, said he also found out about the hidden house from the Web site for Roland Realty, which owns and maintains the building.

“I must have walked past this place everyday on my way to class before the new building was here and didn’t even realize it,” Blanchard, junior in LAS, said.

Steve Hertel, office manager for Roland Realty, said the house was built in the 1950s but Roland only acquired it five years ago.

He added that the apartments have consistently leased well in the past.

Blanchard said he has been living in the same apartment since 2005 and just re-signed his lease to live there again next year.

“I have lived here every summer and will probably stay here through grad school,” he added.

Polacek, who also resigned her lease for next year, said she understood why there is a demand to live in one of Champaign’s better-kept secrets.

“It’s two blocks away from the quad and there are five bars within half a block radius,” she said.

She added that every apartment within the house is unique and has a different layout.

The beautiful archways and bay windows add character and coziness to the hidden dwelling, even though there is not much of a view.

“I love living here,” Blanchard said. “It’s not just a cookie-cutter box apartment.”

However, he said heating the 60 year-old building in the winter is costly since it is very drafty.

“The windows were recently replaced, but that can only help so much,” Blanchard said.

Because of the antiquity of the building, none of the apartments have modern appliances such as dishwashers and garbage disposals.

Blanchard learned that lesson the hard way when a friend visited.

“After shoveling a plate full of spaghetti into the sink, she asked me how to work the garbage disposal,” he said.

There is no on site parking for tenants but Polacek said that is not a problem.

“I don’t even need a car because all the places I need to go are so close,” she said. “It’s literally right in front of my doorstep.”

When she first moved in, Polacek said her mom was worried about her walking home through the alley at night.

“It’s well-lit and the hot dog guy is always on Green Street really late at night so I feel very safe,” she said.