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The mission of the Harriet E. Richards Cooperative House
is to provide off-campus housing to financial-aid dependent female
undergraduate students at Boston University. For generations of women,
the H.E.R. House has been the means to achieve their undergraduate degree.
By drastically reducing the cost of room and board, the H.E.R. House gives
its members the ability to afford their tuition, lifting a burden that
all too often prevents bright young women from receiving an education.
Providing low-income housing options for higher education is not an
entirely new concept. However, what is unique about the H.E.R. House is a
commitment to cooperative living and fostering a close community of
women guided by selflessness, consideration, respect, understanding for
others, and pride in the house.
Cooperative Housing is defined as College-owned,
college-operated, or college-affiliated housing in which students share
room and board expenses and participate in household chores to reduce
living expenses.
Founded in 1928, the Harriet E. Richards Cooperative
House may be the oldest women-only cooperative house in the nation. The
oldest cooperative known to date is located at Ricks College in Brigham
Young University, Idaho, created in 1937. Also located in the West is Zoe
Cooperative, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which was established in
1955. Triphammer Cooperative, located at Brown University, appears to be
the H.E.R. House's only neighbor in the northeast, established in the early
1970s.
Cooperative houses vary in their admissions,
administration policies and relationship with their university. However,
our mission statements are all the same: to provide alternative,
low-cost housing to college students.
 The
Harriet E. Richards Cooperative House, established in 1928, is one of
the first cooperative dormitories in the nation. This was a residence
that provided (and continues to provide) living arrangements at a
nominal cost for women who could not otherwise afford the cost of a
university education. The residents were expected to maintain the living
quarters and cook for themselves. Now, almost 80 years later, the House
continues to be a model for many similar residences around the country.
The first Dean of Women, Lucy Jenkins Franklin,
founded the House after she visited France in the 1920s and saw similar
houses run by and for college women who could not afford the cost of
university living. Fascinated by the cooperative concept, she brought
the idea back to the United States and started a cooperative for
women at Boston University.
 Originally
located at 328 Bay State Road (the present site of Boston University Law
School), the H.E.R. Cooperative House represented the first women's
dormitory on the Boston University Campus. Initially, Dean Franklin's
good friend, Harriet Eliza Richards, contributed initial $100 to get the
House operating. In turn, the residents decided to name the House for
its benefactress. The Hollander mansion (328 Bay State Road) was
purchased with the many donations from Ms. Richards and money raised by
the House residents. The money was given to Boston University to
purchase the building. By accepting the money, Boston University agreed
to be the trustee of the Harriet E. Richards Cooperative House.
 In 1940
the Cooperative House relocated to 191
Bay State Road, a beautiful 19th century brownstone originally owned by
a wealthy Boston merchant. Today, current House members find comfort in
Harriet E. Richards' spirit, which, along with the spirit of many women
who have come before us, still graces the rooms.
Built in 1897 for a wealthy merchant by architects
Little and Brown, the H.E.R. House at 191 Bay State Road has an
incredible architectural history.
The common rooms were designed and decorated to reflect
specific historical periods. Highlights include a French Room, oval
paneled Elizabethan dining room with 14K gold accents, and a foyer
designed as a Roman Atrium, complete with skylight, Roman frescoes and
Greek columns. Today, it remains decorated with antiques and strives to
maintain unique features while providing a comfortable residence for 24
women. Truly, this house is a hidden architectural gem of
Boston.
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Dining Room |
French Room |
Kitchen |
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