Medium Houses
Audre Lorde House
625 N. Frances Street
Rent Range: $405 - $480
Number of Rooms: 14
Number of Adults: 15
Number of Children: 2
Membership Process
Membership is being completed with virtual and in-person steps:
A questionnaire
an online interview via Google Meets
an in-person house dinner or hang out with Audre Lorde Members.
Please email at audremembership@madisoncommunity.coop to start the membership process.
After steps 1-3 are completed, the house will make a decision at the incoming house meeting and then get back to the potential member!
Dinners are every Thursday at 5:30PM.
About Audre Lorde Co-op
Built in 1899 for Kate & Cornelius Sullivan. This house joined MCC in 1996 at Emma Goldman Co-op. In 2003 it was changed to be named after self-described “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet": Audre Lorde. The house has 14 bedrooms with large common spaces on the first floor. There is also off-street parking for 5 vehicles. We are 1/3 of a block away from Lake Mendota. We are also 3 blocks from UW-Madison and 2 blocks from State Street.
Audre Lorde Coop is a progressive, pro racial equity, LGBTQ affirming, pro feminist, pro neurodivergent, environmentally conscious community that actively strives to maintain the position of Black Lives Matter, Love is love, Trans Lives are Sacred and Climate change is real.
“Without community, there is no liberation...but community must not mean a shedding of our differences, nor the pathetic pretense that these differences do not exist.” Audre Lorde
Audre Lorde Co-op went through a renewal in 2022 and is seeking members to help it rebuild its community. We are seeking members who are willing to put in the hard work to build this community back with a few members and dedication.
Member Expectations
1.5-5 hours of their time each week for workjobs such as cooking, washing dishes, cleaning various common spaces, paying bills, grocery shopping, serving as a house representative for various committees of Madison Community Co-operative, and many other jobs that go towards the upkeep and continuance of the household.
Attendance at weekly House Meetings, currently Thursdays after dinner at 7:30pm.
Everyone in the house pays $95 a month to purchase bulk food which is mostly organic, and locally-grown when possible; we strive to buy from vendors that are owned and run by people-of-color and/or women.
Neighborhood:
University
Is Parking Available?
Yes.
What Kind of parking is available?
5 off street
Are all house meals vegetarian?
Most house meals are based around meat.
Vegetarian option at all meals?
Yes.
Vegan option at all meals?
No
What other food options are available at some meals?
Dairy Free options are often made as well.
Is meat allowed in the house?
Yes.
Are there any restrictions on meat in the house?
Audre Lorde currently purchases meat for members with house funds. Every meal must have a vegetarian option as well.
Meals/Week?
1
Meals Cost?
$100/mo
Meal Plan Participation?
Required. Exceptions are made on a case by case basis.
Pets Allowed?
Yes, but we are currently at capacity for pets like dogs or cats.
Are there currently pets?
Yes! One lovely tripod dog named Link and two cute chubby cats named Zamani and Sasha.
Hypatia
411 N Pinckney Street, Madison, WI 53703
Rent Range: $442-$709
Number of Rooms: 12
Number of Adults: 12
Number of Children: 2
Membership Process
Our membership process consists of a written questionnaire, attending three house dinners or online meetings, and an interview.
Please email hypatiamembership@madisoncommunity.coop to get started!
In Our Words
Hypatia is a twelve-bedroom cooperative house located in a beautiful old mansion surrounded by a historic garden three blocks north of the Wisconsin State Capitol. Our house includes a spacious living and dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows that face the capitol and a working fireplace, well-appointed kitchen, fully stocked pantry (fresh produce, staples, spices, etc.), small guest room, laundry machines, bike parking in the basement, and storage space in the attic.
Our community is made up of graduate students, undergraduate students, professionals, and kids, including people of many races, genders, ages, and backgrounds. We have a house meeting every other Sunday evening to check in with housemates and make collective decisions, 3-4 house dinners per week, and occasional house events like movie nights or hikes. Our house labor system asks each member to contribute 4.5-5 hours per week (cleaning, cooking, yardwork, administrative tasks, etc.) plus 1 hour per month toward maintenance projects.
Neighborhood
Mansion Hill
Is Parking Available?
No
What kind of parking is available?
Street parking is available. Residential Parking Permits are available from the City of Madison for $42 per year.
Meals
We have house dinners 3-5 times per week. Meals are vegetarian, mostly vegan.
We sometimes have food-only members who join us for meals and contribute toward costs and labor related to food. Contact hypatiamembership@madisoncommunity.coop if you'd like to learn more!
Pets Allowed?
No
We allow non-furred, non-allergenic pets that remain in a tank or container in your room. (fish, frogs, sea monkeys) Hypatia has members with allergies, so doesn't allow furred/allergenic animals of any kind.
Ofek Shalom
122 North Bassett Street, Madison, WI 53703
Rent Range: $342-$403
Number of Rooms: 10
Number of Adults: 10
Number of Children: 0
Membership Process
Come to three house dinners, with an interview following the third. House dinners are served at 7 PM Monday through Thursday and our Shabbat celebration starts at 8 PM on Fridays.
Skype interviews can be scheduled for long distance applicants.
Contact ofekmembership@madisoncommunity.coop
In Our Words
Ofek Shalom Co-op is situated in a small, comfortable house on the corner of Bassett and Dayton. We are a dynamic community made up of 10 working and studying people from a range of backgrounds. We enjoy late-night discussions, board games, quality time with our house's three cats, and parties/events hosted throughout the year! We are committed to providing a warm, welcoming environment for people with all world-views, backgrounds, and identities. All house meals are vegetarian with a vegan option, and the house features five porches with astonishing views of the surrounding area.
Ofek is historically and culturally a Jewish house, whose roots go back to Kibbutz Langdon in the 70's. We have maintained this tradition by hosting events on Jewish holidays, such as our Purim party and Passover Seder. We also celebrate Shabbat every Friday with a joyous meal with homemade challah for anyone who would like to join us. One does not have to be Jewish to membership here; all are welcome.
Is Parking Available?
Yes
What kind of parking is available?
Driveway (three spots)
Are all house meals vegetarian?
Yes
Vegetarian option at all meals?
Yes
Vegan option at all meals?
Yes
What other food options are available at some meals?
Kosher
Is meat allowed in the house?
Yes
Are there any restrictions on meat in the house?
Should be eaten on personal dishes and cooked only on the meat cast iron pan
Meals/Week:
6
Meals Cost:
$120
Meals Cost Notes:
Food Membership Allowed?
Yes
Meal Plan Participation:
Required. Exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis.
Pets Allowed?
Yes
Current Pet Situation:
We have an exceptionally handsome cat named Huck. We now have two more furry friends, Flaca and Patrick.
Pet Policy:
Pets are approved by members of the house.
Friends
19 N Hancock St
Rent Range: $400-$600
Number of Rooms: 10
Number of Adults: 10
Number of Children: 0
Membership Process
- Fill out our questionnaire: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHiyxRbVJpNak0tFjxLNEQDFKQDVKBuxtdEg7fzmCppDIo1Q/viewform?usp=sf_link
- Keep in mind that your responses to this form may be shared with the house, minus personal information.
- Send us an email to let us know you filled out the form and are interested.
- After reading your responses, we will set up an initial video call, phone call, or in-person meeting with 1-3 current members where you can ask questions about Friends and we can get to know you.
- After this call, you may be invited for further meeting(s) in person at the house (or via video call) to meet other house members.
- If you decide you are still interested in membershipping, we will hold a vote at our next house meeting to decide whether to allow you to become a member.
In Our Words
After 50 years on W Johnson St, the Friends' community recently relocated to a remodeled house in the Downtown neighborhood two blocks from the capitol and the E. Washington shopping district. The new house has two accessible rooms. We do our best to prioritize these rooms for those with physical disabilities.
Our cooperative community is brought together by a radical sense of playfulness and inclusiveness. These values stretch all the way back to Friends' evolution out of a Quaker cooperative housing community. House members contribute a required 5 hours of their time each week for chores such as cooking, washing dishes, cleaning common spaces, paying bills, grocery shopping, serving as a house representative for various committees of Madison Community Cooperative, and many other jobs that go towards the upkeep and continuance of the household.
At full membership, Friends consists of 10 adults of varying ages and backgrounds, along with their pets. We offer 100% vegetarian and frequently 100% vegan house meals. We enjoy working together to find creative solutions to problems both in informal and formal decisions. We endeavor to find consensus in the decisions we make during house meetings and work to make sure that all members of the household feel heard and valued.
For any questions or concerns contact: Friendsmembership@madisoncommunity.coop.
Is Parking Available?
At this time, all of our parking spots are full. We may be able to figure out an arrangement to obtain more parking if needed, otherwise street parking is available. If you require a disabled parking spot, we have one of those and would give priority parking rights to you.
What kind of parking is available?
2 spaces
Are all house meals vegetarian?
Yes.
Vegetarian option at all meals?
Yes.
Vegan option at all meals?
As needed.
What other food options are available at some meals?
We accommodate any dietary preference, e.g. gluten-free.
Is meat allowed in the house?
Yes.
Are there any restrictions on meat in the house?
Members may purchase and prepare meat separately from house dinners.
Meals/Week:
Varies, usually at least one and up to four, depending on how busy house members who cook are.
Meals Cost:
$100/mo
Food Membership Allowed?
Yes
Meal Plan Participation:
Required. Exceptions are made on a case by case basis.
Pets Allowed?
Yes.
Current Pet Situation:
3 cats, 2 roaming. 1 dog, roaming
Pet Policy:
Roaming pets (i.e. those that are allowed to leave their owner's room and roam around the house) must be membershipped into the house similarly to humans. Bring the animal to the house and make sure that it gets along with other pets and humans. We will then vote on their membership. Pets that stay strictly in members' rooms do not need to be membershipped.