Leland House Ribbon Cutting

WALTHAM — On March 20th, 2025, Dellbrook|JKS proudly joined 2Life Communities for the ribbon-cutting ceremony of Leland House, a senior living community designed by Prellwitz Chilinski Associates. Residents, community leaders, and project partners gathered in the building’s Village Center to celebrate the new, fully affordable and adaptable housing development.

At the event, guests heard from Cissy, a resident, who shared the inspiring story of how she arrived at Leland House. After her landlord sold her apartment complex, Cissy faced housing insecurity, amidst the struggle to find housing in Waltham’s pricey market, while paying per diem to stay in her original home. To Cissy’s relief, she won the housing lottery to live at Leland House and a spot in one of its 68 apartments. "Instead of choosing which utilities to forgo, paying for heat, or stretching a food budget even further, I get to spend my days here thinking about what I want to do," said Cissy.

Beyond its residents, there is more to Leland House that makes it unique. The three-story building was built to Passive House standards, achieving some of the best PHIUS test results known to New Ecology, a sustainable building consultant. Additionally, an active fire suppression system was implemented throughout the entirety of construction, ensuring that sprinklers were operational 24/7 in case of emergency. Remarkably, no water was wasted while the system was in use.

Prior to the construction of Leland House, the "Leland Home," which had served the community's seniors for 140 years, was demolished after closing in 2020. The L-shaped, slab-on-grade building that now stands in its place spans 73,000 square feet, nearly doubling the apartment capacity. The interior design pays homage to the original Leland Home, with salvaged windows featured throughout the ground floor and a portrait of Hannah Leland, for whom the building is named, prominently visible from the front entrance.

“We understood the importance of this project from the start,” said Seth Aronson, Project Manager at Dellbrook|JKS. “With our longstanding relationship with 2Life Communities, it was crucial for us to deliver a project that our partners could be proud of. Now, knowing the impact Leland House has made on its residents, our work is even more rewarding and  meaningful.”

Leland House has been nominated for Dellbrook|JKS’ Project of the Year in the Small Category, with the winner to be decided by a company-wide vote on April 3rd, 2025. The project also received runner-up status in the Embodied Carbon Challenge held by Built Environment Plus and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.

Ribbon cutting photo by 2Life Communities

For media inquiries, please contact Emma Barrett at Ebarrett@dellbrookjks.com