Roundtable Houses were a distinct system of co-ops not affiliated with Community of Urbana Cooperative Housing or West Urbana Co-Ops.

History

From 2009-2020, the Roundtable Houses were a a group of properties in Urbana owned and operated by Norman and Carolyn Baxley, and later also by their son Ben. These houses were operated as rental cooperative housing units for primarily international students attending UIUC. The houses remained a popular choice for international students until 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic caused the houses to empty quickly as international students returned home to their families. When students didn't return for the Fall 2020 semester, owning the houses became financially untenable for the Baxleys. It was then that the Baxleys had to make the decision to sell the houses. 

The former Roundtable Houses are now owned by JSJ Properties, and rented out as group houses.

Two of the houses (RT1 and RT2) are registered as historic landmarks with the city of Urbana.

Houses

• RT1 - 508 W Elm St (est. 2009)
• RT2 - 412 West Elm St (est. 2011)
• RT3 - 104 N Central Ave (est. 2012)
• RT4 - 608 West Main St (est. 2012)
• RT5 - 405 West Elm St (est. 2013)
• RT6 - 401 W Elm St, now 201 S Birch St (est. ~2016?)

map of Roundtable Houses, from roundtablehouse.org (internet archive)

Sources

• https://web.archive.org/web/20160412092237/http://www.roundtablehouse.com/housing
• https://www.urbanaillinois.us/historicpreservation
• https://www.news-gazette.com/coronavirus/sunday-special-coronavirus-and-the-community-part-xi/article_3f891e88-a306-11ea-83cc-63d8ecf7905e.html web archive
• https://www.news-gazette.com/coronavirus/checking-back-in-with-the-subjects-of-five-pandemic-profiles/article_5d99414d-cfe6-5ea8-83fe-bcc32d0c53db.html web archive