Anyone who has driven the scenic road to Tiverton Four Corners is familiar with the sight of the Abraham Brown House/Lafayette House (c. 1735). Situated on just over 35 acres of open fields, the house had direct ties to the American Revolution: General Lafayette stayed here during the 1778 Battle of Rhode Island. Shockingly, the home was suddenly demolished in December. Other than basic zoning, this historic structure and its land had insufficient open-space or preservation protection of any kind.
How did this happen? Lack of strong, clear, and comprehensive demolition review procedures for historic structures and errors in the review process are to blame. Had the house been within a local historic district, demolition might have been prevented. However, Tiverton only has a basic demolition-delay ordinance that gives minimal time to work toward a solution.
The town relies on owners seeking a demolition permit to self-report whether their property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Rhode Island Historical Preservation Survey, or the town’s list of historic structures. In the case of the Abraham Brown House/Lafayette House, the owner answered “No,” and the town did not verify the answer. Had the question been answered correctly, Tiverton’s Historic Preservation Advisory Board would have been notified, and steps could have been taken to delay demolition and investigate preserving the structure.
We must work on ways to prevent a tragedy like this in the future. Preserve Rhode Island advocates that communities review, update, and strengthen protections for their historic assets. Protection methods include establishing historic districts, extending local landmark protection to individual structures through single-building districts, and adopting ordinances mandating meaningful demolition delay periods.
A rigorous demolition delay ordinance requires an owner to cooperate with town officials to consider alternatives to destroying a town’s historic assets.
If you think your town may be open to upgrading its protections for historic properties, please reach out to Paul Trudeau, our Director of Preservation. In 2025 we hope to organize a cohort of towns to focus on upgrading municipal historic preservation protections, sharing ideas and strategies, encouragement and success.
Learn more about demolition delay by-laws in our Preservation Tool Kit.
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