Bruner/Cott Architects has completed Frost Terrace, a 100% affordable housing apartment community at 1791 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge’s Porter Square.
Achieved in partnership with Capstone Communities and Hope Real Estate Enterprises, the complex is in a transit-oriented neighbourhood facing an extreme shortage of housing and will provide 40 families and individuals with long-term rental options.
Directly adjacent to the firm’s Lesley University Lunder Arts Center on Massachusetts Avenue, Frost Terrace comprises three extant buildings - 1 and 2 Frost Terrace, plus a contextual modern addition that balances the overall composition. The William Frost house, built in the late 1800s, was preserved, transformed, and expanded at the rear of the complex to provide additional living quarters. Formerly surrounded by similar houses and the North Avenue Congregational Church (moved to its site from Kirkland Street near Harvard Square in 1867 and is now the Lunder Arts library), the Frost house is the last of its kind on the block, providing continuous historical context.
Designed with light and air in mind, 26 of Frost Terrace’s 40 units are generous 2-to-3-bedrooms. 13 one-bedroom and one studio unit complete the mix. Reserved for households earning less than 60% of the area median income (AMI), with four units reserved for households earning less than 50% of AMI and four units reserved for households earning less than 30% AMI, the complex received over 900 applications during its initial leasing.
A transit-oriented development that prioritises space for people over motor vehicles on the site, Frost Terrace offers immediate proximity to the MBTA, bike lanes, and essential community services, as well as 44 secure bike parking spaces.
Sustainable design strategies include LEED Gold certification aspirations for multi-family mid-rise. Environmental interventions include the installation of solar panels, stormwater management, tree preservation, and energy efficient equipment, complemented by landscaping and paving improvements that created accessible community space.