Ashmont
Ashmont is one of the most sought after historic neighborhoods within Dorchester known for its sprawling Victorian manses. One of the area’s larger neighborhoods, it comprises several distinct sections, including Ashmont-Adams, Ashmont Hill, and Peabody Square. The area is perhaps best known for its ties to the Kennedy dynasty as the childhood home of JFK’s mother Rose Fitzgerald, and her father, the former Mayor of Boston. Ashmont was primarily farmland until the 1850s when affluent residents started constructing architecturally significant estates there. In the 1880s Ashmont Hill served as a showcase for the contemporary designs of the leading Boston architects and builders of the era. Many of the larger homes were built by noted architects, including Harrison Henry Atwood, John A. Fox, and Edwin J. Lewis. Today, meticulously-maintained houses constructed in the Craftsman, Shingle, Stick, and Queen Anne Victorian styles continue to be the centerpiece of the neighborhood. Many single-family homes are generously proportioned with large yards and other green spaces for a touch of suburbia in the city.
Ashmont is located in the southwest part of Dorchester between Milton, Quincy, and Boston. It is surrounded by other Dorchester neighborhoods, including: Codman Square to the west; Neponset-Port Norfolk to the east; St. Marks Parish and Fields Corner to the north; and the Lower Mills and Cedar Grove sections to the south. The MBTA Red Line runs through the neighborhood with a station at Ashmont/Peabody Square.