The Waterside Co-op

History and Vision

The Waterside Co-op is in Chicago.

In 2005, 2 members of the Beyond Today, Waters Garden, and Riverbank Neighbor communities purchased this house with the intent of forming a housing co-operative, similar to the Stone Soup Co-op.

The house is special for many reasons, most importantly, it looks out upon the Waters Community garden. This garden is a very special and beautiful place in our neighborhood. It is an organic school and community garden with a large section of native plants (some rare, which we need to protect), with several 100+ yr old oaks which were saplings when the river used to run right here, with the compost bin, the community raspberriy bushes, the fieldhouse, and hosting the unique ecology program run by Pete Leki. For all these reasons, having Waters garden community members living across the street helps us be better stewards of the garden. We keep an eye on it, love it, protect it, and are present. The proximity to the garden also enables the Waters School Media Lab and Beyond Today video projects to be hosted in the co-op and to work in the garden, documenting the environmental lessons and beauty of kestrels, hawks, deer, and students wondering in nature right in the middle of the city.

The Waterside Co-op has:

• hosted countless meetings, potlucks, music nights, protest sign-making events, canning workshops, and much more.
• hosted the Waters School Media Lab after school program since Fall of 2008.
• hosted three years of the Beyond Today environmental intern program.
• and more...

There's more history to write. Maybe we'll do that someday.

Feel free to contact us for more information.