Every four years for the FIFA Men’s World Cup, neighbors expect to see 19 Clifton St. draped in jerseys and flags, with a sign on the front door displaying that day’s matches.
Jim and Jacquie Dow change the display little by little each World Cup season, but a love for soccer is always at the heart of it.
“It’s really fun, and I just basically shut down for the World Cup,” Jim Dow said.
Jim Dow’s parents purchased the Clifton Street house during the Great Depression, eventually passing it down to him. He and Jacquie Dow married in 1979 and settled in Belmont, raising a family in the house.
World Cup
They began decorating the house to mark the World Cup in 2010. As a photographer, Jim Dow had traveled to stadiums around the world for his work, collecting jerseys from teams along the way. At first, those jerseys hung proudly in front of their house, but after a few were stolen, the souvenirs were moved inside.
Now, Jim Dow prints photos of the jerseys to create the “Match of the Day” board on the Dow’s front door, which he updates daily. This year, the couple hung the flags of their favorite teams in the tournament: Uruguay, Scotland, the United States, Senegal, and Argentina.
According to Jacquie Dow, it’s normal to hear friendly honking or see people slow down during their walks to take a closer look. The couple has received notes from people who have a special connection with the World Cup or a certain country, and many people they meet for the first time are already familiar with their house.
“In a neighborhood like this, particularly on the hill, where the houses sit on fairly large properties, there’s kind of this manicured green look, which is beautiful, but you always wonder what the inside is like, and this is, in a way, taking what’s inside the house and putting it outside for a month,” Jim Dow said.
The Dows said their house always comes alive during the World Cup, but this year with the tournament being on American soil, there is an added sense of community. Jim Dow has attended multiple soccer games at Gillette Stadium this year and recalled the celebrations between strangers from different countries and cultures.
“I think the World Cup gives everybody an excuse, in a way, to be friendly publicly, and it’s great,” he said.
The World Cup was scheduled to host its final Boston-area match in Foxborough on Thursday, pitting France against Morocco. The World Cup final is July 19 in New Jersey.
“It seems like even in the last four years, there’s so much more interest,” Jacquie Dow said. “…On the whole, I think everybody just wants relief and wants a change and wants to be able to enjoy themselves.”
