Title: Groves Women's Cooperative Records
Inclusive Dates: 1943-1987

Creator:

• Groves Women's Cooperative (Madison, Wis.)

Call Number: Mss 758; PH 3804

Quantity: 1.0 c.f. (3 archives boxes) and 117 photographs

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Records of a women's housing cooperative (1943-1987) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison founded to foster interracial and international harmony. Included are membership records, notes on house and board meetings (1948-1984), and other administrative records; information on the history of the cooperative and its involvement with similar organizations and with the establishment of a nearby historic park; ledgers (1946-1972) documenting income and expenses and other miscellaneous financial records; and photograph albums.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00758

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The Groves Women's Cooperative was established and incorporated under the names Groves Co-op Women's House on March 4, 1943 by a small group of students at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The coop was named in honor of Harold Groves, former university professor and state senator, who served as chairman of the incorporation meeting and as an advisor and advocate to the cooperative through much of its history. Although the coop was affiliated with the University, it operated independently and was owned and governed solely by its members. In addition to providing an economical housing alternative, Groves was an integrated, international housing facility. Their non-discriminatory policy was articulated in a 1944 Wisconsin State Journal interview. Groves Coop, the article stated, “is a demonstration that girls of different racial, religious, and ethnic groups could live happily together.”

The cooperative was initially located at 150 Langdon Street in what had been a men's housing cooperative until the beginning of the war. In its second year, with twenty-three members, Groves rented the Sigma Nu fraternity house at 625 North Henry Street. In 1946, with the help of Professor Groves, the coop secured a $5000 loan and bought their first house at 1104 West Johnson Street. They leased the basement of the new house to the newly-established, co-educational Green Lantern Eating Cooperative.

Sixteen years later the Groves building was condemned by the City of Madison and once again Professor Groves aided the coop, this time by helping them secure a loan for $30,000 from the Regents of the University of Wisconsin. The cooperative used this loan to purchase the Elisha Keyes House (formerly the Attic Angels Nursing Home) at 102 East Gorham Street.

In 1968 Groves and seven other Madison cooperatives joined in forming the Madison Association of Student Cooperatives, later the Madison Community Cooperative (MCC), an association designed to aid existing cooperatives and to facilitate the development of new organizations.

In 1972 the City of Madison designated the Groves house as a historic landmark. Later that year Groves organized a petition drive against the construction of a three-story apartment complex planned for an empty lot adjacent to their property. Their efforts preserved the lot, which was subsequently purchased by the city and developed as a period park.

Despite its historic status and the value of its building, Groves Cooperative was plagued by financial problems. Escalating fuel and maintenance costs forced up rental fees, which in turn discouraged prospective members. In addition, the amount of work required to maintain the building proved overwhelming to Groves members. At Groves' request, in 1980 MCC bought the coop, paid off its debt, and began making payments on its loan. By 1987 Groves' debt to MCC exceeded its financial resources. The remaining members and the MCC board of directors agreed that Groves was no longer a viable enterprise, and the coop closed at the end of May, 1987.

The records cover a wide range of topics relating to Groves Cooperative, especially its administration and troubled financial management. However, the documentation is incomplete, with the late 1940s and the 1950s the most fully represented. Notable in its absence is evidence of what life was like in the coop. Except for a few references which may be gleaned from the minutes, perhaps the best evidence for this may be found in the photographic albums kept by several residents. Additional information about Groves Cooperative may be found in the records of the Madison Community Cooperative held by the Society.

The papers consist of a statement of purpose and policies, minutes and notes of house and board meetings, membership records, ledgers and other financial records, and information on involvement with other organizations of cooperatives and on the historic building in which the cooperative was located. The records are organized as background information, administrative records, and financial records.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION consists of statements of purpose and membership policies, miscellaneous information concerning incorporation and the house's status as a historic landmark, certificates of membership in various organizations of Wisconsin cooperatives, and material distributed by Madison Community Cooperative.

General ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS largely consist of notes and minutes taken at general meetings of the house and its board. The files are not complete, best documenting only the period 1948-1952, but they nevertheless provide the best documentation of life at the cooperative. Most often discussed are projects, assignment of duties, financial problems, and policy decisions. Other administrative records include incomplete membership records (containing some demographic data) and information on the responsibilities of officers and house parents and the management structure of the cooperative.

FINANCIAL RECORDS, which one officer called “Books, bills, and confusion,” comprise about one-third of the collection. Included are ledgers spanning the period 1946-1967 which summarize assets and liabilities, expenditures and income, and capital reserves. Other records which are less complete include property tax assessments, insurance policies, mortgage records, correspondence concerning collection of overdue bills, and (for the year 1955 only) monthly financial reports.

An interview with Harold Groves about the cooperative is cataloged separately as Tape 420A.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Lauren Spitz, Madison, Wisconsin, July 15, 1987 and Mavis Roubal McKelvey, Missoula, Montana, August 10, 1988. Accession Number: M87-282, M88-262

Processing Information

Processed by Sara N. McClanahan (Intern), 1988.

	Series: Background Information
Mss 758 Box   1 Folder   1	Historical information, 1963-1969, undated
Box   1 Folder   2	Historic park, 1971-1973
Box   1 Folder   3	Urban Planning Commission agenda material, 1972
Box   1 Folder   4	Wisconsin cooperatives, 1974-1977
Box   1 Folder   5	Madison Community Coop, 1980-1986
PH 3804	Photograph albums
Mss 758	Series: Administrative Records	⇧
Box   1 Folder   6	House parents and officers, 1967
	Membership records
Box   1 Folder   7-8	Cards, 1946-1967
Box   1 Folder   9-10	Contracts, 1952-1978
Box   1 Folder   11	Lists, 1963-1977
	Notes on house and board meetings, 1963-1977
Box   1 Folder   12-15	1943, 1948-1952
Box   2 Folder   1	1954-1970
Box   2 Folder   2	1977-1984
	Series: Financial Records	⇧
	Ledgers
Box   2 Folder   3-4	1945-1953
Box   2 Folder   5	1961
Box   2 Folder   6-9	1971-1972
Box   3 Folder   1	Monthly financial reports, 1955
Box   3 Folder   2	Property taxes, 1954-1969
Box   3 Folder   3	Insurance, 1949-1969
Box   3 Folder   4	Mortgages, 1946-1971
Box   3 Folder   5	Legal correspondence, 1962-1970
Box   3 Folder   6	Elevator, 1964-1968