Lothlórien Cooperative House

  • Community
  • 0 followers

About the Community

  • Established
  • Urban

What we do

We are a community of about 30 people (both students and workers) and five cats (neither students nor workers) who share a large yellow castle on the shore of Lake Mendota. Since our founding in 1973, Lothlorien Co-op has striven to provide a welcoming and supportive atmosphere for people of all ages, sexes, races, and sexual orientations. Many of our housemembers are politically active in queer rights, labor rights, and environmental and feminist movements, and our home is an open resource to activist groups like Food Not Bombs, Stop the War, Radical Cheerleaders, and the Madison Art Collective. We often host benefit concerts, fiestas, coffeehouses, and other events providing the city of Madison with good times. Based in egalitarian ideals, house decisions are made through modified consensus at weekly house meetings.

The house features a huge living room and library with hardwood floors, four fireplaces distributed throughout the house, multiple decks, and one grand and one upright piano. Our backyard has terraced gardens, a lakeshore fire pit, a dock, and two canoes. All but one of our 31 bedrooms are singles. We have a great location within walking distance of the Capitol, UW-Madison and MATC campuses, and bus lines. Additional fun fact: Loth has one of the largest solar hot water systems in Madison.
We cook vegetarian meals with a vegan option nightly. Nearly all food at Loth is organic and most produce is also locally grown.

Our Vision

Vegie, Enviro, LGBT-friendly

Our Mission

Vegie, Enviro, LGBT-friendly

  • Community type
  • Cohousing
  • 32 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
  • Open to volunteers
Total
32

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Dinners:
All are welcome to join us for dinner Sunday through Friday at 6:00 p.m. or brunch Sunday at noon.

How to apply for membership:
Attend a minimum of three dinners, then give 48 hours notice before a membership meeting with current house members. Membership meetings consist of going over house policies and a Q & A session. Call the house phone and ask about our process for applying to become a member if you cannot attend dinners. Also feel free to email any questions to Eli (one of our membership coordinators) at [email protected].

Crashing:
We accept short-term crashers pending a meeting with members of the house. Crashing fees are $7 per night, including all-you-can-eat food; there is a possibility for partial work-job payment as well.

Primary decision-making authority

  • All Community Members Together

The whole membership decides collectively.

Governance structure

  • Collaborative/Horizontal

Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a one-time fee, investment, or share purchase to join the community separate from accessing housing
  • There is a labor obligation
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Join fee: $200
Labor required: Yes
6 hours workjob/week–ie: cooking, composting, dishes, recycling, etc; 1.5 hrs Maintanence/mo

One-time small due to: Madison Community Co-op (MCC)

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Common House, Garden(s), Library, Hot tub or hot springs, Large Scale Kitchen, Fire pit, Waterfront access, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • Approximately 1 meal per day

Substance use culture

  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies

Property status

  • Privately owned

Setting

  • Urban

Within city limits with access to urban amenities and infrastructure.

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%
  • Land area size
    0.5 acres

Reviews

Location

  • Wisconsin, United States

Lothlórien Cooperative House

Promoted Needs and Offers

Offer
Offer
  • Communities with Openings
2 months ago

We welcome new members who are anchored in spirit, heart, and body.

WILD GRACE, an intentional, eco-spiritual community (Sierra foothills, 30 minutes from Grass Valley, California) is excited to have completed the creation of new homes for prospective members. Perhaps you or someone you know have been preparing for this wonderful opportunity? Spiritual community (sangha) is crucial on the personal level, as Thich Nat Hahn says: Your sangha—family, friends, and co-practitioners—is the soil, and you are the seed. If you have a sangha that is joyful, animated by the desire to practice and help, you will mature on your path of awakening. (adapted from Cultivating the Mind of Love) We also believe that spiritual community is crucial on the global level. The intentional focus of loving, mindful consciousness transmits a healing and transformative energy beyond our ability to perceive, which assists in planetary awakening. Wild Grace provides an opportunity for an intimate group/sangha to focus on inner attunement to the Divine, to deepen in group authentic communication practices, to steward sacred land, and to choose love moment-by-moment. Our octagonal temple, perched above the wild and scenic South Yuba River, is devoted to the Mother of Us All. We are dedicated to life-long learning of the skills needed to communicate, heal, and live life fully together in Love, Oneness, and Presence. We support a healthy balance of personal and community care, work and play, purpose, and “right livelihood.” Our shared foundation consists of group morning silent meditation, weekly heart circles where we practice trauma informed authentic relating, tending the land, sharing two or more meals a week, and creative expression. We host events including weekly neighborhood potlucks, open monthly Kirtans, weekly A Course of Love online global meetings, weekly Qi Gong classes, sun/moon cycle ceremonies, and dance classes. Wild Grace is located on 80 acres of land adja
Offer
  • Forming Communities
1 month ago

Cohousing ABQ: Life is better together. We're moving in during 2026. Last homes available!

We’ve broken ground on a multigenerational cohousing community along the Rio Grande River in Albuquerque, NM! Our community features 25 beautiful, energy-efficient homes clustered around a shared open space, with a fully equipped common house and a range of community amenities. A few last homes are still available — please refer to our website for up-to-date availability. These homes will be move-in ready in the summer/fall of 2026. Or you might be interested in our Wait Pool for unit sizes no longer available. Click here to watch a video of our cohousing community: https://cohousingabq.org/video Our land is on a quiet road with lots of families and kids. The neighborhood’s agricultural roots give it a rural feel, but the center of town is just a 3-minute drive away. Our community plans include play areas for kids, a shared farming area, a year-round greenhouse, an orchard, a workshop and electric vehicle charging. We are diverse in age, background and identity, representing a mix of families with children, couples and singles. We range in age from 2 to 82, and there are 13 kids in our community so far. We have created a fun, caring culture among our group, regularly getting together for meals, camping trips and play dates by the river, in addition to collaborating on our community plans and supporting one another through life’s ups and downs. In Albuquerque, there’s lots to keep us busy, from museums and galleries to nationally recognized wineries and breweries. With 310 sunny days per year, you can often find us outside—hiking, biking or skiing, or exploring the mountains, parks and historic sites all around the region. The Rio Grande that flows through the city center is a playground for kayakers, and miles of walking and cycling trails wind through its wooded banks. Reach out to us or join an upcoming Meet & Greet to learn more about becoming a part of our community! E

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