Michigan Cooperative House
Encyclopedia
Michigan Cooperative House, founded in 1932 as Michigan Socialist House, is believed to be the oldest independent housing cooperative
in North America
. It was located at 335 E. Ann Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan
, near the University of Michigan
campus, and now is located at 315 N. State Street. It is one of the co-op houses making up the Inter-Cooperative Council
.
. Throughout the 1930s, the members of Michigan House managed to provide themselves with full room and board for only two dollars a week, making headlines. In 1939, the members of the house voted to change the name to Michigan Cooperative House, though many people still refer to it by its original name.
Today, Michigan Cooperative House continues to provide housing, food and community living for students and non-students in Ann Arbor.
Housing cooperative
A housing cooperative is a legal entity—usually a corporation—that owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings. Each shareholder in the legal entity is granted the right to occupy one housing unit, sometimes subject to an occupancy agreement, which is similar to a lease. ...
in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It was located at 335 E. Ann Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, near the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
campus, and now is located at 315 N. State Street. It is one of the co-op houses making up the Inter-Cooperative Council
Inter-Cooperative Council at the University of Michigan
The Inter-Cooperative Council at the University of Michigan is a student owned and operated housing cooperative serving students and community members in Ann Arbor, Michigan...
.
History
Michigan Socialist House was founded in 1932 by a group of students in the University of Michigan Socialist Club as an experiment in putting socialist values into practice and a way to defray the costs of living for students during the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Throughout the 1930s, the members of Michigan House managed to provide themselves with full room and board for only two dollars a week, making headlines. In 1939, the members of the house voted to change the name to Michigan Cooperative House, though many people still refer to it by its original name.
Today, Michigan Cooperative House continues to provide housing, food and community living for students and non-students in Ann Arbor.
See also
- Inter-Cooperative Council at the University of MichiganInter-Cooperative Council at the University of MichiganThe Inter-Cooperative Council at the University of Michigan is a student owned and operated housing cooperative serving students and community members in Ann Arbor, Michigan...
- North American Students of CooperationNorth American Students of CooperationThe North American Students of Cooperation is a federation of housing cooperatives in Canada and the United States, started in 1968. Traditionally, NASCO has been associated with student housing cooperatives, though non-student cooperatives are included in its network...