While the cooperative is located in a university-owned building, which the cooperative has leased at the corner of Park and West Johnson streets for the past 67 years, Zoe Bayliss operates independently from UW-Madison. Elected student board members manage Zoe Bayliss’ finances and determine rent prices for the year. They also hire a chef to cook lunch and dinner on weekdays, a perk included in the rent.
The new five-story, 26,000 square-foot building — called Levy Hall — will be “one of the most heavily used academic buildings on campus,” said Eric Wilcots, dean of the College of Letters & Science, in October. Levy Hall will also support UW-Madison’s largest academic program, Dybdahl said, “providing 1,800 seats in state-of-the-art classrooms.”