Cohousing-L Mailing List: A common house by any other name

[Lynn Nadeau (welcome]

We are in mid-construction of our long-awaited Common House. The question 
occurs to me--- is there a more apt name for it? We use this term for the 
simple reason that that's what it's called in the book, and other groups 
have used that name. 

The ideal name could have some of these characteristics:
a) be self-explanatory, or at least not confusing, to an outsider who 
heard it for the first time
b) conjure up a sense of center, heart, pride
c) relate in some pleasing way to the group's whole name, identity, or 
focus
d) be playful or interesting or unique

People hear "common house" and ask if we will all live together in it. 
No, it really isn't a house. Common, in the sense of joint ownership -- 
though shaded by the more , umm, common, usage, of "basic, ordinary." We 
hope it will be an uncommon place-- different from our homes, and 
attractive in the way a favorite restaurant or ski lodge might be. 

The Commons? That's already what we call the land which we own together, 
the parts of the project which are not individual home sites. 

Center? "Community Building" is pretty clear, but is long to say. 

What else does our town already have? The Rec Center, the Grange Hall, 
Parish Halls. Some homeowners' associations have a Club House. A popular 
dance-hall made from an old barn, with the eccentric name of The 
Palindrome. 

Any thoughts to share?

Lynn Nadeau, RoseWind Cohousing
Port Townsend Washington (where I'm still picking a few tomatoes a day, 
and have some flowers still in bloom)