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Madison’s co-op living: from Fellowship Farm to the future

According to Sparer, Madison has long been a hub for housing co-ops due to Wisconsin’s well-defined cooperative laws and interest from UW-Madison students.

Hypatia itself is an example of Madison’s long cooperative history. Hypatia began in 1943 as Groves Womens’ Co-op, founded by UW-Madison students looking for an affordable alternative to sorority housing. Before moving buildings a few times and eventually changing its name, the co-op was originally named after Professor Harold Groves, an advocate for cooperatives and a shareholding member of a more political project: Fellowship Farm.