House, Ruths' Cooperative House, 321 N Thayer St, August 16, 2024

History of the Inter-Cooperative Council of Ann Arbor

Ruths' Cooperative House

https://umsi580.lsait.lsa.umich.edu/s/student-cooperative-movement-in-aa/page/ruths-house

“Ruths’ House was organized in 1993 and purchased in 1994. Finlandia is the official drink of house meetings, as per their constitution.

Ruths’ honors two women: Ruth Buchanan – a Labadie Radical Literature librarian who provided free labor to the cooperative serving as house mother and Ruth Bluck – the first woman to become ICC President in 1946.

In the early to mid-1990’s, the ICC was seeking out another house to expand the cooperative community. Ruths’ House, then referred to as Thayer House for its location on North Thayer Street, was proposed as the next acquisition.  While there was a movement in favor of purchasing another house, there was internal opposition with the ICC as well.”