New Guild Co-Op

I never lived in the «New Guild’ but rate it highly because there appears a chance that it has a connection to the old «Campus Guild» that was closed by the health department and ultimately burned to the ground. I lived in the Campus Guild 1970 – 1972. It was a hippie crash pad composed of students of varying degrees of seriousness and hippies who mostly sold candles and incense on the drag. Rent was $ 25/​mo. and food was $ 29/​mo. The lore was that the campus guild was where individuals persecuted during the McCarthy era lived and where the first african-​american students lived. I don’t know if this is true but we wanted to believe it. I graduated from UT Austin in ’72 and then went to UCLA law school, class of ’77. Rah, rah, campus guild, rah, rah f_​_​_​! Best wishes New Guild!

Saw you could review this place and had to laugh. It’s been over 10 years since I lived at New Guild, but the 3 years I spent there were some of my favorite college memories. At the time I was escaping a Single-​White Female roommate and had no idea of where I could live, no roommate possibilities. Then a friend mentioned checking out the co-​ops. Thus began an incredible adventure that started out in a little room upstairs in the cottage and kept going until the core group I had come to love moved on.
As an only-​child, living at New Guild taught me to share. I also gained incredible kitchen running experience from 2 years of being Kitchen Manager. We had our share of battles, but in the end, we were a family who took care of one another.
I would love to again see the «bibles» we drew, documenting everyone and everything at New Guild. I’m always hoping the attic room is still painted with clouds. Was the one thing I did to that room that I absolutely loved. Would hang my legs out the tiny front window and stare out over Austin in my cloudy blue room.
I met amazing folks and enjoyed living there. It’s an inexpensive and very interesting living situation. If you can handle a certain amount of weekly chores and living in a giant house with a bunch of other people, this is a great option. I still miss it sometimes.

This place really did change me.
I came to Austin without a single friend. Lived here a year and met the most amazing people. I’m so grateful for this place. Living at New Guild is probably the best decision I’ve made.
It’s fucking disgusting. I smoked too much, drank too much, showered 50% less, ate the worst food on the planet, and had the best year of my life. And it’s cheap. By far the best co-​op in Austin. There’s just too much dog shit everywhere.
I just moved out though… One year is enough. The filth, the labor, the people… it gets tiring. Spend a year here. Leave after a year… meet some great people and make some wonderful memories.
ROOM 6 REPRESENT!