Kraft Demolition Of Historic Foxborough Home Facing Delay

FOXBOROUGH, MA — The Kraft Group plans to demolish the 215-year-old Amos Morse house, according to the town's historical commission. This historic home in the early 1800s, hosted a small business responsible for helping the straw industry become an economic force for Foxborough into the 20th century.

At Tuesday's historical commission meeting, Chairman Mark Ferencik confirmed nothing can be done to block Robert Kraft's company from razing the house. But, a six-month delay is allowed and the commission will consider doing so.

The historical commission meets again on Saturday. A vote on if the home is historically significant will take place at the meeting, the Sun Chronicle reported. If the commission votes yes, a public hearing would be the next step. Then, a six-month delay could be imposed.

Ferencik said a delay gives the Kraft Group time to explore other options besides demolition. He said the owners could sell the home to someone willing to preserve it or donate the property.

"You can't just knock it down without a public hearing," Ferencik told Patch. "The idea of the hearing is to try to get them to do something besides knock it down."

The Kraft Group is already in the process of looking for another option, according to Kraft Group spokesman Jeremie Smith.

"We are trying to find a satisfactory solution for the Amos Morse House, including gifting or selling the house to someone interested in relocating and preserving it in town, or salvaging significant pieces of the house so that it can be preserved and later reused elsewhere in town," Smith said. "We have received some inquiries over the last few years expressing initial interest in one or more of these alternatives, but sadly none have been willing to make the commitment necessary to move any of these options forward. It has now been determined that the house is unsafe and needs to be taken down. We will continue to work with the Historical Commission through this process and if someone comes forward with a reasonable plan, we will certainly do our best to work with them. If not, then the house should be removed from the property for safety reasons."

Photo used with Permission from the Foxborough Historical Commission