Started by a faction of Hedrick House members in 1969 who wanted a less structured living style, the group, which called themselves New Community, began renting different houses in the late 1960s and running them as sort of counter-culture, utopian co-op experiments.

SHC rented a property at 437 Abbott, a location of several previous co-ops (such as Nexus and Phoenix), and it became New Community in 1979. With money from the HUD loan in 1980, SHC purchased properties 415 and 425 Ann to provide housing for New Community members. New Community did not last long as a two-house cooperative. In 1981, the properties split and New Community became exclusively the property of 425 Ann. SHC operated 415 Ann Street as a rental property until 1995, when it became a brand-new five-member co-op, Toad Lane (re-named Lothlorian in 2007). From 1997 to 2003, New Community was affiliated with the Honors College, and was an honors-theme house.The houses' name was briefly changed to 'Althing' in 2007, and reverted to New Community in early 2008.

 In Fall 2009, a dedicated garden space was installed and the pantry was reorganized. In Spring 2010, the basement living area and kitchen were re-painted and updated.