Go to The Foundry to Get Cool

The Foundry in Cambridge’s Kendall Square is now a designated space for anyone who needs a cool place to be on hot days. Visitors can enjoy the large, air-conditioned common workspace and free Wi-Fi. 

The Foundry also provides a free on-site water station with reusable bottles from the City, so you can stay hydrated. Foundry staff have received training from the Cambridge Public Health Department to recognize and respond to signs of heat illness.

"We work to uplift communities, especially those impacted by social inequity, so partnering with the City of Cambridge to open our doors during extreme heat is a natural extension of our commitment to supporting connection, creativity, and resilience year-round,” said Diana Navarrete-Rackauckas, Foundry Consortium Executive Director. “We’re excited and ready to support our neighbors!”

The historic building is a rare community space open late, offering a cool escape until 8 p.m. on weeknights and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. It hosts a variety of events, programs, and classes, from art-making to cooking. You can learn more about The Foundry here. Residents can also find relief from the heat at Cambridge's public libraries and Cool Spots – public spaces where community members are encouraged to gather, connect, and cool off.

Partnerships like the one with The Foundry are a key part of the City’s Resilient Cambridge Plan. It focuses on preparing our community for the impacts of climate change, like severe heat, in part by building stronger social connections. Those relationships help us all adapt and recover more effectively from extreme weather events.

To learn more about the City’s resilience initiatives – including efforts to create more shady public spaces for relief from the heat – visit Sustainable Cambridge.  And if your organization would like to learn more about opening your air-conditioned space to the community for relief on hot days, contact Cambridge’s Climate Resilience Manager, Kendra White at kwhite@cambridgema.gov.