NEWPORT – A day after four people were injured when a section of the roof collapsed inside a state-owned building on the grounds of Brenton Point State Park, state officials said they plan to demolish the more-than-century-old structure known locally as “The Bells.”
According to the R.I. Department of Environmental Management, on Monday a portion of the roof collapsed under the weight of a boy who was climbing on top of the building, “causing both the boy and a slab of concrete about 2 feet by 4 feet to fall about 25 feet onto two other boys who were inside the building.”
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Two people, ages 15 and 16, were taken by ambulance to Hasbro Children’s Hospital. A third person, age 15, was taken by helicopter for treatment. The fourth person, age 12, was treated and released on scene.
In a Monday news release, DEM said it “has prohibited entry to [the site] for safety reasons” and that “No trespassing signs are posted at the property.” The structure has been surrounded by a chain link fence for over a decade, the department said.
However, the fencing has not prevented curious visitors from accessing the building – the ruins of a former carriage house and stable that is littered with graffiti, broken stones and trash.
The state park falls within the National Historic District register. Jeffrey Emidy, director of the R.I. Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, said the commission had been discussing what to do about the property with RIDEM “for a couple of years.”
“But in all likelihood, this dates back further,” he said.
The commission is required by law to review changes that would impact state-owned historical properties. Emidy said the commission recently notified the agency that the structure should come down.
An engineering study estimated the minimum costs to stabilize the building would be over $1 million, with the price tag to make it “structurally sound” but still unusable running to $2.4 million, Emidy said.
“While we would love to see every historical building rehabilitated,” he said, “over time we’ve come to [an] agreement [that it should be demolished]. These costs are high enough that it doesn’t seem prudent to [try and save the building].”
First constructed in 1876 for lawyer and copper magnate Theodore M. Davis, the original estate was partially destroyed by a fire in 1960. The state acquired the property in 1969 and the remaining structure became part of the land’s conversion into Brenton Point State Park in 1979.
Asked if the city’s police department has had any issues with the security of The Bells, Newport city spokesperson Thomas Shevlin referred all questions to RIDEM, the state agency that oversees the state’s park system.
“It’s a historic building,” said Shevlin, who added that the agency does routine patrols of the site.
According to online documents, the state issued a request for proposals from firms to redesign Brenton Point State Park and to create a plan to “re-imagine the opportunities to service the public in a forward-thinking, efficient manner, while respecting the Park’s historic nature.”
Seven companies responded to the RFP, which expired on Nov. 23, 2022.
Emidy said that state statute requires that any plans to tear down historic buildings must include the “mitigation of the loss.” This could include erecting a landmark or plaque commemorating the historical significance.
“An action that will promote its history,” he said.
RIDEM spokesperson Michael Healey said the agency agreed with the preservation and heritage commission “to take certain mitigation measures before a demolition would be approved.”
As for the mitigation requirement, Healey said this could mean “creating an archival record and putting up interpretive signage allowing people to recognize what it used to be.”
There was no timeline for demolition available as of Tuesday. Healey said that agency staff had installed additional fencing and signage on Tuesday morning.
State officials had no further information regarding the status of injuries, citing health privacy laws and because the individuals involved are minors.
“First and foremost, we are concerned for the teenagers who were hurt and for their families,” Emidy said. “In hindsight, you wish [the demolition] would have happened before this weekend.”
Emidy said there are other state-owned properties that pose a similar dilemma, what he called an “attractive nuisance,” where adventurous visitors are drawn to dangerous historic sites for their uniqueness and wonder.
“They are out there,” he said. “And it’s really hard to secure all of them. It’s a concern.”
Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com.
So the kids read the signs and STILL went in. Sad to say, but their injuries are on them and their parents.
When one plays with fire…