Commonwealth and Glenville Apartments were both built in the early 1900s and are both four-story, masonry apartment buildings located in Allston, MA. Commonwealth is a 118-unit rental property and Glenville is a 117-unit rental property; These 235 units represent over 40% of ABCDC’s entire rental portfolio.

In the 1990’s, both properties were at risk of losing their affordability due to Savings and Loans Scandal. For many years, Allston Brighton CDC and the tenants worked together to preserve these apartments as affordable. In 1997, ABCDC and the tenants bought the buildings together, guaranteeing that the residents would stay affordable for the long-term. A celebration to mark this major win for affordable housing in our community was held in the late 90’s and photos from the event feature some familiar faces including Representative Kevin Honan, Mayor Menino, HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo, and Congressman Joe Kennedy II. The ownership structure created in 1997 provided tenant councils with control over the operation of the property until the property was again restructured as part of a massive upgrade of the property that began in 2015.

In 2017, upon the completion of the large-scale renovation project, the All Bright Community Center opened on the first floor of 1287 Commonwealth Avenue. Since opening, the Center has been a go-to resource for tenants of our properties. Our staff provides case management and complementary programming to residents in our portfolio right at their doorstep. We offer yoga sessions, ESOL classes, computer hours, coffee socials, mobile food pantries, holiday parties, movie nights, and more. In addition to providing sought after services to tenants, we work to build a sense of community and trust among neighbors.

In 2024, ABCDC worked with Resonant Energy to install rooftop solar panels at a portion of the property. The solar panels are sized at 68.4 kW DC and will decrease our electricity costs by over $500k over the next 20 years!