May 5, 2016
Ashmont Hill’s historic homes will be on display on Sunday, June 12, featured in the Dorchester Historical Society’s resurrection of the classic house tours dating back to the 1970s. Homeowners will stand at the ready to chat with tour participants about what it takes to live in, renovate, and transform a classic home.
The self-guided Dorchester House Tour will meander from the lower hall of All Saints Church, passing through a dozen houses and carriage barns. Ticket holders can travel freely through the tour, taking place from 12 noon to 5 p.m.
“Houses on the tour, both grand and modest, represent the variety of architectural styles found on Ashmont Hill,” the Historical Society said in a release announcing the tour. From carriage houses to Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Shingle style homes, the houses featured meld original details with the modernizing touches that keep the homes livable today.
The Boston Landmarks Commission’s Dorchester survey said, “Few neighborhoods in Dorchester...can match Ashmont Hill for the sheer number of substantial, well-crafted, well- designed, and well-preserved late-19th-century residences.”
Edens, Inc., the developers proposing the sprawling mixed-use South Bay Town Center project, is the tour’s lead sponsor. Trinity Financial is a supporting sponsor and the Reporter is the media sponsor, joined by a number of other neighborhood sponsors.
Tickets are $30 in advance, at dorchesterhistoricalsociety.org, and $35 the day of the tour starting at 11:30 a.m. at check-in. The proceeds from the tour will go toward the historical society’s building restoration fund for maintenance of its historic properties.