Tiverton building, code enforcement and zoning officer John Hoyle Jr. has resigned, weeks after his office came under fire for the town’s role in the demolition of the historic Lafayette House at 3118 Main Road last month. His last day in the town’s employ was Friday, Dec. 27.

Hoyle was hired by the town in mid-2021 but had been on leave since early December, following the arrival of interim town administrator Patrick Jones.

Hoyle’s office has faced criticism over the past two weeks, after Lafayette House owner David Rose applied for and in October received a permit to raze the historic structure. Preservationists said after it was torn down that they were not alerted to the demolition until it was too late.

The office was also criticized for failing to catch erroneous information on Rose’s application. When asked to state whether the home was on any historic registers, Rose answered ‘No,’ though it is listed on a local registry, and with the state Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission. Rose has not returned telephone calls for comment in the weeks since the farmhouse came down.

But after the demolition, Jones said he was looking into what transpired:

“I’m definitely going to look into this and see what role the town had, and if anything needs to be changed to better avoid these situations in the future. Are there procedures that can be put in place to either avoid these or address them?"

Members of the town council will discuss Tiverton’s next step at a special meeting planned for Monday evening.

The Lafayette House was built in 1760 and housed the Marquis de Lafayette, a French Lieutenant General, during the Revolutionary War.