The dilapidated old Oliveira house at the corner of Serpentine and Schoolhouse is no more, reduced to a pile of rubble Wednesday by the property’s new owners.
The demolition brings to an end an …
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The dilapidated old Oliveira house at the corner of Serpentine and Schoolhouse is no more, reduced to a pile of rubble Wednesday by the property’s new owners.
The demolition brings to an end an ugly, nearly 30-year battle over the property waged by former owner Peter Oliveira’s estranged son John, who fought in court for years to have his late father’s 1985 will, which bequeathed the property to the Town of Warren Rescue Squad, thrown out.
The case dragged on for more than 20 years, going as far as the Rhode Island Supreme Court, before the court in 2011 threw out the younger Oliveira’s legal challenges and ruled that the will, and the elder Oliveira’s wishes, were valid. By then though, years of neglect had taken their toll.
The damage was so bad that former Fire Chief Al Galinelli once considered using the home for fire and smoke training. However, the decision was ultimately made to sell the property and in April 2017, Lubelia and Alfred W. Hill Jr. purchased it from the rescue squad for $80,000.
Ms. Hill and her brother, Jason Costa, are putting up homes adjacent to the ramshackle house’s former location, but Warren Building Official Tony Carvalho said there are no current plans before him or any other town office to rebuild on the site of the old building. Building there could be problematic due to water table, wetlands and other environmental issues.