Notes from an Environmentalist. Plum Island Barrier Beach in Transition.
Iconic 'Pink House' in Newbury, Massachusetts, needs new home, headed to auction
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Updated: 12:09 PM EDT Mar 22, 2024
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Veronica Haynes
Senior Digital Editor/Producer, WCVB.com
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NEWBURY, Mass. —
The famous "Pink House" of Newbury, Massachusetts, beloved by artists for nearly 100 years, needs to find a new home or face demolition.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has owned the Plum Island Turnpike property and house since 2011.
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Officials say the three-bedroom, two-story home, which was built in 1925, contains asbestos and other harmful contaminants.
"It contains materials harmful to human health, including asbestos, and requires frequent maintenance to prevent catastrophic damage. The property floods routinely ... and sea level rise projections indicate flooding frequency in this area will increase," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said. "As a result, the long-term viability of the structure in its current location is untenable."
The service said the house will go up for public auction for possible relocation or salvage.
Officials said they have been working to save the house from removal since 2016 and have sought a "suitable property with which to exchange the land where the house sits."
"Despite an exhaustive search — including extensive outreach and media coverage since release of the draft (environmental assessment) nearly five months ago, and an additional 2-month extension — no viable exchange parcels were located," U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.
This is not the first time the house has dodged the wrecking ball. In 2011, the most recent private owners sold it to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, which had planned to tear it down in 2015 until supporters stepped in.
In 2017, Chronicle dug deeper into the home's history. It's always been pink, but little evidence has been found of its widely rumored infamous origins. There's a legend that it was a spite house built by a husband during a bitter divorce to isolate his wife on the marsh, Chronicle explained.
Once the structure is removed, the area will be turned into a public park with benches and educational panels.
The house is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2010 and 2021, the Massachusetts Historical Commission determined that the house did not meet the criteria to be added to the list, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.
Chronicle vault: Unusual Houses: The Pink House & Mill House
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For sure!
I sent Matt Hillman an email first thing yesterday morning. The subject was "The High Road." So much negativity from certain people. The thing was that the report was an "Environmental Assessment." IMO, the assessment was not read by a lot of people. I, sincerely doubt that any person or business would want to be responsible for property that is so vulnerable to environmental harm.
I believe that what they really wanted is federal money to keep the house pink and standing in good shape from the Plum Island Turnpike. The state of the US Congress is broken in terms of funding. The FWS had no choice.