Ferency Co-op

146 Collingwood

(517) 977-0142

 

Members: 9
Rooms: 5 singles, 2 doubles
Meal Plan: No
Facilities: Parking, shed, basement, front porch.
Common Areas: Separate living room / dining room / kitchen.  Living Room: hardwood floor, couches, TV/VCR/DVD.  Kitchen: remodeled in Summer 2006, stove, oven, appliances, 2 refrigerators.
Amenities: washer and dryer, cable TV, cable internet.
Other perks: Roof deck, patio & fire pit shared with Miles Co-op.  Right across the street from MSU (Mason/Abbot Halls and Student Services Building), near bus lines to MSU & LCC, near video store (Blockbuster), near coffee shop (Espresso Royale), near bar (The Peanut Barrel), near credit union (MSUFCU).
Blocks from campus: 1

 

Ferency House History

 

The house at 146 Collingwood was built in the 1930s and purchased to be part of Hedrick in 1964. Before the co-ops were co-ed, the women of Hedrick lived here, while the men were next door. Part of SHC's HUD loan provided money for renovations in 1980. In 1986, during an infamous retreat to Key Largo, Florida, board members decided to split Hedrick into two co-ops, and the houses at 146 and 152 Collingwood were named Key Largo as a reminder. 152 Collingwood later became Miles Co-op, and Key Largo was renamed Ferency in memory of Zolton Ferency, a popular professor, perennial political candidate, and long-time friend to the co-ops.

Over the past several years, Ferency has become one of the most sought after houses, filling up far sooner than many of the other co-ops. This is probably due to the general cleanliness of the house, it's relationship with the co-ops around it, and the house design, which promotes interaction between housemates. It also has developed a reputation for housing co-opers who might be considered on the "geeky" or "nerdy" side of things, due to attempts to organize a Magic: The Gathering Tournament, World of Warcraft playing in the living room, and widespread interest in shows like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Battlestar Galactica. Rumor has it that there were also several Settlers of Catan nights as well.