The Bells Carriage House Demolition
In 1876 a fireproof carriage house was built at Brenton Point in Newport RI. The building was used until the 1920s when a family dispute prevented any occupancy of the home or carriage house. During WWII the estate was the site of the Brenton Point 155mm battery which was operated out of Fort Adams. After the was the property was once again abandoned. In 1960 the heavily vandalized house was ravaged by fire and demolished in 1963, leaving only the carriage house and servants building. In 1969 the state took control of the property and renovated the servants building into restrooms. The carriage house sat abandoned this entire time, being used for parties and graffiti artists. In 2023 some kids playing on the building fell through the unstable roof. The state considered three options moving forward with the building; the first was to restore the carriage house, second was to stabilize the carriage house and third was to demolish the carriage house. Rhode Island Department of Enviornmental Management (DEM) was unwilling to spend the millions of dollars to stabilize the building or restore it, so it was decided to demolish the structure. AA Wrecking which is a local Asbestos Abatement and demolition service would complete the demolition in Fall 2023. The demolition date was pushed back numerous times until the final day was set, February 7th, 2024. Demolition would be a multi-day project and as of February 8th, there is still work to be done. I was lucky enough to visit the building five days before January 30th which was one of the demolition dates. While I was there, crews were removing asbestos shingles from the concrete roof. The fence had been left and unlocked for the crews and I was able to get into the building undetected via a hole in the back fence. (I did not enter the main open gate because I was in the sight of the crew). I captured a few photos of the interior while staying out of sight. I may have only visited this site once, but it had a huge impact in the world of New England urban exploration and is a real shame to have been demolished. I hope that DEM will preserve the history of the site for future generations.
- Julian Malcolm
February 8th, 2024