Squirrel Brand

External view of Squirrel Brand Apartments

In 2002, Just A Start (JAS) redeveloped the former Squirrel Brand factory and office buildings into 20 units of permanently affordable rental housing.  Located at 8-12 Boardman Street and 17 Boardman Street, the project, which included several buildings, involved historic preservation and adaptive reuse to convert the former candy factory into 18 affordable rental units. As part of the Squirrel Brand project, the City also purchased and preserved an undeveloped lot alongside the former factory to preserve it as open space in a newly designed park.

In 2019, JAS consolidated the Squirrel Brand property with the Linwood Court property to create a new development called Squirrelwood. At that time, the Squirrel Brand building underwent an extensive renovation using historic tax credits.

Renovations were completed in 2002. No further updates will be made to this project page.

The property includes:

  •  20 affordable rental units, including 1 studio, 2 one-bedrooms, 13 two-bedrooms, and 4 three-bedrooms; all of which are affordable in perpetuity  
  • Improved open space  

  • Squirrel Brand Park
  • Sculpture at Squirrel Brand Park

Squirrel Brand is owned and operated by Just A Start Corporation. If you are interested in applying for housing at Squirrel Brand, please contact Maloney Properties, Inc. at (617) 209-5439.

For more information on affordable housing opportunities in Cambridge, please visit the Housing Division home page here.