Have you ever stopped and looked at the houses in your neighborhood…we mean, really looked?
Well, local artist and streetscape curator Matthew Dickey is constantly looking for interesting homes, buildings, and architecture in the Boston area. He has over 38,000 followers on Instagram, and his feed is filled with gorgeous photos of homes tucked away in neighborhoods, plus their history.
This beautiful home located in Dorchester was captured by Dickey, who is also a Dot resident. This house was completed in 1898 and was owned by Andrew Erickson, a sail, tent, and awning maker. According to the Instagram post, this house in Dorchester’s Wellesley Park is always in festive attire.
“Wellesley Park was platted in 1897 and can be seen as a streetcar suburb version of the great South End squares like Union Park and Chester Park. These middle-class homes are still grand and decorative, just not as over-the-top as larger homes on Melville Ave. However, the area was deemed so beautiful that the Red Line T was put underground to Shawmut Station as it passes through the neighborhood, rather than at or above grade as it is at Fields Corner and Ashmont Station.”
Dickey can be seen traveling by bike in and around Boston on the hunt for hidden architectural gems. In addition to photography and historic research, Dickey creates gorgeous paintings from his discoveries.
According to a profile in the Boston Globe, this isn’t just a hobby. Dickey is the communications director for the Boston Preservation Alliance, a nonprofit that works to preserve historic buildings, landscapes, and communities. He also hopes to influence how Boston views its architectural gems and to save them before they disappear.
Evidently, one of the oldest three-deckers in Boston – located in Dorchester near South Bay which he discovered doing research – was demolished last year before he could photograph it. Well, that’s a shame!
If you’d like to learn more, Dickey was recently on CBS Boston on Morning Mix, talking about art, Boston, and preservation. You can watch it here!
Make sure to follow him on Instagram – he’s a delightful follow!
Maureen Dahill is the editor of Caught in Southie and a lifelong resident of South Boston sometimes mistaken for a yuppie. Co-host of Caught Up, storyteller, lover of red wine and binge watching TV series. Mrs. Peter G. Follow her @MaureenCaught.