Our Community
We are a unique small collaborative cohousing community located in St. Louis Park, MN just outside of Minneapolis. We choose cohousing because we want to know our neighbors and we value a growing community that works together through shared experiences.
Our Mission
Our Mission is to live in a way that promotes community. We share facilities, decision-making, responsibility, and work, and thereby know our neighbors. We are dedicated to diversity, acceptance, listening, and conflict resolution, and having fun. We make communication with and participation in the community a priority, while supporting a balance between community and private life.
Who We Are
We value diversity, and have varying incomes. We are an inter-generational community, and over the years have ranged from newborn to 80, including singles and couples, both with and without children.
Our members are computer programmers, artists, teachers, therapists, caregivers, scientists and more. We follow diverse spiritual and secular paths. We help each other out in ways large and small. Examples include sharing information and advice, lending and sharing skills and items of all kinds, and driving each other to the airport or to appointments.
Living Here
Community spaces in the Main House are places for official community meetings and events as well as casual or impromptu get-togethers. Maintaining our Main House, built in 1924, (part Common House, part residences) also gives us opportunities to work together, as does managing our two acres of woodland, lawn, planted borders and garden.
The community has an abundance of interior common space in the 1924 Edwardian mansion (the Main House), with commercial-grade kitchen, dining room, 3-season porch with a gas fireplace and dance floor, and gathering places like our living room and wood-panelled library, both with wood-burning fireplaces. Other community spaces include a workshop, guest rooms, a laundry room, children’s playroom, teen room, exercise room, maker space and paint and craft room.
Our outdoor spaces include a shady courtyard with picnic tables, gas grill and play structure, an organic vegetable garden, a fenced lawn, and woodland that connects us to a local park.
Affiliate Membership
Want to get a better feel for life at Monterey Cohousing Community? Consdier becoming an Affiliate Member. As an Affiliate, you can join us for activities, meals, workdays, and meetings, and you will hear about units as they become available, before they are listed.
Our History
We purchased the 2 plus acres of land and the mansion in December of 1992 and began the process of remodeling the building into 8 private residences with 6000 square feet of common space in 1993. The next phase, the building of seven townhomes, began in 1995 with the owners moving into the units in 1996.
History of the Main House
Designed in the American Colonial style by Frederick Mann, founder of the University of Minnesota Architecture School, this imposing building on top of Fern Hill was easily visible to streetcar riders traveling what is now known as Minnetonka Boulevard. Originally called the Star of Bethlehem home, it was commissioned by the Christian Science community as a temporary place of abode for Christian Scientists seeking rest and comfort according to their beliefs. The building was later operated as a boarding house by Daystar Ministries before purchase by Monterey CoHousing Association. A photograph of the 1924 groundbreaking shows a farm on the site.
Our Location
We are located in St. Louis Park, just about a half mile west of Minneapolis. We are 1 block from the frequent 17 bus line, and will be less than a mile from both Bus Rapid Transit and Southwest Light Rail when those projects are completed. Minnetonka Blvd, our nearest major road, will soon be a pleasant multi-modal transportation route, and we have easy access to recreation in St. Louis Park, including Fern Hill Park which adjoins our property and features playing fields, an outdoor ice rink, a tennis/pickleball court, a playground and track. The extensive Minneapolis trail system, including the Chain of Lakes, is within an easy bike ride. Our neighborhood is quite walkable, with a few nearby conveniences such as restaurants and shops. Highway 100 is within a few minutes’ drive. Assigned public schools are Susan Lindgren Elementary, St. Louis Park Middle School, and St. Louis Park Senior High.
Monterey Cohousing Community 