CRMC and Dunes Club demo home at mouth of Narrow River

March 21, 2025, WAKEFIELD — The Dunes Club, a private historic beach club located in Narragansett at the mouth of the Narrow River, has agreed to demolish the home at the corner of its property, precariously perched on the beach and damaged beyond repair after the December 2023 and January 2024 storms that eroded more than an acre of dune habitat at the site.

The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) has been working with the Dunes Club and the Town of Narragansett since damage to the structure occurred. Demolition work began on March 5 of this year, after CRMC issued the permit in late February following months of communications and negotiations with the aforementioned parties as well as the State Historic Preservation and Heritage Commission (RIHPHC) and US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS).

Before

Following the storms last year, CRMC authorized the Dunes Club to place a series of bulk bags around the damaged home on an emergency and temporary basis to keep it from further damage while the tenants removed their belongings. In subsequent weeks, the Dunes Club sought and was granted approval to remove the home’s deck and a partially collapsed bulkhead. A long-term rental agreement between the Dunes Club and the renters took months to resolve, and then in the fall the beach club hired a landscape architect to draw up plans for the area. Through multiple meetings and communications with the parties, it was decided that the structure was beyond repair and would be condemned; CRMC advocated for its removal and encouraged dune restoration in its place. The HPHC was concerned about the impacts of this work because the structure, known as the Arthur Little House, was a contributing building to the National Register-listed Dunes Club Property. Negotiating the work took some time and since the work constitutes an adverse impact to a historic structure, per HPHC, the parties have agreed to a mitigation plan. The Dunes Club and HPHC agreed to conduct an updated survey of the historic district and assess future coastal risks to the district. US Fish & Wildlife Service was also consulted given the area’s status as a federally-protected piping plover nesting area.

After

“CRMC coordinated with the Dunes Club, Town of Narragansett, and US Fish & Wildlife to develop a safe and comprehensive plan that included removal of the condemned structure and dune restoration in the footprint of the home,” said CRMC Executive Director Jeffrey Willis. “We strongly advocate for removal of endangered and damaged structures and retreat in the face of erosion and are encouraged when property owners make this choice. This dune restoration will act as habitat and a natural buffer from waves, and we thank the project partners for their cooperation.”