Historic inn to be demolished
Lafayette House in southern Mass. closed due to COVID
FOXBORO — One of Foxboro’s oldest and most familiar Colonial-era landmarks may be slated for the wrecking ball — a victim of changing tastes and, more recently, the coronavirus pandemic.
The Lafayette House, long considered one of Foxboro’s finest dining establishments and a destination for hungry travelers for more than two centuries, has been issued a demolition permit, according to Mark Ferencik, who heads the Foxboro Historical Commission.
Ferencik on Monday said the commission granted permission to raze the fabled Route 1 landmark following an Aug. 19 inspection of the property.
“We could have voted to impose a six-month moratorium, but what’s the point of that,” he said.
Ferencik said the town’s demolition bylaw requires a ruling on historical significance within 30 days of a permit application on whether to allow the demolition to go forward. He added the request had been approved after the Aug. 19 inspection revealed that little remained of the original building.
Ferencik said that only a small center section had historical significance worth retaining, but even that area had been altered over the years. Most of the remaining structure consists of a series of additions and renovations made to resemble an older building.
“Given the realities of the current business situation with COVID-19 and the small amount of original
structure, the commission felt that it would be unfair to impose a six-month demolition delay, which is the most allowed by the current bylaw,” Ferencik said.
Erected in 1784 by Aaron Everett, the Lafayette House was once a stagecoach tavern known as the Everett Inn on the old Boston and Norfolk Turnpike, which connected to the better-known Boston Post Road. Legend has it the Marquis de Lafayette stayed overnight on his return trip to New York after laying the cornerstone to the Bunker Hill Monument in June 1825.
Everett, born into a prominent 18th-century West Foxboro family, constructed several other Colonial residences as well — including Sunnymeade, the stately red colonial situated in the notch of Pierce and Old Main streets — as well as the former 1810 House, which was moved in 1982 from Route 1 to its present location at 129
North St.
In 1830 there were 36 stages running regularly over the turnpike, 18 each way. By then, the Lafayette complex had expanded to include a pair of large barns, each 100 feet long, located east of the inn on the other side of the turnpike. Coaches were stored there during the winter while the stagecoach company’s sleighs were stored in the summer.
In addition to General Lafayette, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington were said to be among the numerous dignitaries entertained at the inn over the years.
The property, which includes the familiar Colonial-style building and just under two acres of land, is assessed at $788,700.
Owner Ronald Young purchased the property in March 1996 from Frank M. Ward, who had acquired it from longtime owner Leon Pini in 1988, according to records at the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds.
Young could not be reached for comment.
At their regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday night, selectmen identified the Lafayette House as one of several establishments affected by business conditions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That building has been there a long, long time and I’m very sorry to see it go,” Town Manager William Keegan said.
At the request of selectmen, Keegan pledged to obtain a status report on the Mai Pearl restaurant, located in the Chestnut Green plaza, which has been shuttered for months.