Former New England Patriot Light steps forward with plan to dismantle historic Glocester house

GLOCESTER – A historic town-owned structure at 1272 Putnam Pike, previously slated to be demolished, may now instead be dismantled, with its post and beam frame used to teach students about the craftsmanship used to construct such buildings.

At the recent Glocester Town Council meeting, the board heard a proposal by resident Matt Light, a former professional football player with the New England Patriots for 11 years, to dismantle the house in order to preserve its historic framework.

Light explained that his non-profit the Light Foundation offers a timber frame program, which teaches how post and beam structures are constructed from start to finish. The mission of the Foundation, based in Ohio, is to take young people out of their everyday environments and provide them with unique opportunities that ignite their passion, purpose, and motivation to succeed.

“About 15 years ago I began taking down barns, 130 barns, log cabins, timber framed homes, some here in the Northeast, a lot in the Midwest,” Light said. “The idea is to preserve the past.”

Light said he saw that the building was slated for demolition and decided to look into it. After examining the structure with Department of Public Works Director Gary Treml, along with Councilor Walter Steere, Light said he came to the conclusion that there were parts worth salvaging.

“I wanted to take a look and see if there was anything worth salvaging,” Light said. “There is a considerable amount of frame that is in good enough shape that we can preserve a lot of the history of this area. For me that is important. When we teach timber framing, we want to make sure the kids can see real world examples.”

Whatever is salvageable, he explained, the group will take and use in the program. His crew will remove all of the insides, including plaster, as well as roofing and other extraneous siding and more to get to the main frame. They then will remove pegs, and take everything apart for future use, which will include not only using the timbers and craftsmanship for teaching purposes, but possibly for use in constructing another timber frame building.

“We’re there to preserve the past,” Light said.

The timbers will be removed, and the site will be cleaned up, leaving nothing behind. Light said he thought the frame could be “half good,” but that won’t be determined until it is dismantled.

“This is a better option than tearing it down,” said Steere.

Steere, whose ancestors once lived in the house for a period of time, previously read a long list of detractions delineated by the Rhode Island Housing Authority when they investigated the building for possible use as low income housing. It cited walls out of plumb, sagging floors, poor structural integrity, outdated electrical and plumbing, floor joists in poor condition, sagging roofs, holes in walls and numerous other deficiencies. Treml said that both the septic and well had to be replaced as well.

The building, which sits on 10 acres of town-owned property, is described in the 1980 Rhode Island Historic Preservation Commission’s report as a “1.5 story late Victorian structure with a small, brick chimney, a central entry in a five bay façade with gabled dormers and a late Victorian porch.”

Since the early 1900s, however, the building has been occupied by numerous tenants and owners, and has deteriorated over the years.

Light suggested that the structure dated back to the late 1700s, early 1800s.

“It’s very indicative of several structures that are still standing here today; so, for me it’s a walk back in time,” said Light. “We can see how master timber framers did their joinery, how they put things together, how they made the stakes they made, layout lines and all that kind of stuff. For a young person to see those things it’s a world of difference from talking or reading it in a book.”

Light’s Timber Frame Program, located in Greenville, Ohio, introduces high school age youngsters to the age-old craft of timber frame construction, according to their website. Under the guidance of professionals and adult mentors, students turn standing trees into a complete building frame in just three days. Instructors guide students through the safe use of hand and power tools, and through the process of translating drawings into a three-dimensional structure. The hands-on setting requires students to work collaboratively with one another, and through specialized skill development, campers gain a personal sense of achievement and mastery that they can carry with them into other aspects of their life.

Light was an offensive tackle for the New England Patriots before retiring in 2012.

Councilors voted unanimously to put the structure up for bid.