The Pink House, a cherished pink structure on Massachusetts’ coast, is set for demolition by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by March 31, ending years of efforts to save it. Despite Governor Maura Healey’s attempts to preserve the home, talks with federal officials failed to yield a solution. The house, in poor condition and posing safety risks, was acquired by the federal agency in 2011. Supporters, led by the nonprofit Support the Pink House, view the fight as symbolic of cultural significance. A celebratory event for the house’s 100th birthday is planned for June amid ongoing expressions of gratitude from its defenders.
A worn pink house located along the Massachusetts coast, cherished by countless artists and romantics over the years, is set to be demolished by the federal government in March, bringing a lengthy battle to preserve it to an end.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which governs the property, confirmed this decision on Friday. This announcement follows an intervention by Gov. Maura Healey four months prior in an attempt to save the house just hours before its scheduled demolition. Subsequent discussions between state and federal officials did not yield a plan to maintain the home in Newbury, Mass.
According to a statement from Fish and Wildlife, the demolition is slated for completion by March 31. The house is situated at the boundary of a wildlife refuge, and the timing is designed “to align with the arrival of approximately 300 species of migratory birds” returning to the refuge for the spring and summer seasons.
“After a comprehensive and cooperative effort among all involved parties, relocation of the structure ultimately could not be achieved,” the statement noted. “The building is currently in a state of disrepair and presents hazards to refuge personnel, wildlife, and the nearby salt marsh.”
The federal agency acquired the property, known as the Pink House, in 2011, purchasing nine adjoining acres from the last private owner. Officials from Fish and Wildlife stated earlier that the 99-year-old house had become a target for vandals and necessitated expensive maintenance, positioned as it is in a flooding risk area.
Ms. Healey expressed her disappointment over the decision in a statement on Friday, describing the house as “a cherished landmark” and “an important part of the history, culture, and essence” of the coastal area north of Boston.
Having grown up in nearby southern New Hampshire, the governor regarded herself as one of the Pink House’s admirers who had long appreciated its familiar sight just before the bridge to Plum Island, a well-loved destination for day trips and vacations.
Artists and photographers frequently captured the house at dawn and dusk, when the surrounding sky reflects its soft pink hue. For many who spent their childhood summers enjoying Plum Island’s beaches, passing by the Pink House and its rooftop cupola signified their arrival at a cherished locale.
Rochelle Joseph, the director of Support the Pink House, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the house since demolition plans were first announced in 2015, stated that the group’s efforts represented something greater than a single weathered, vacant building.
“Critics might argue that there are more significant issues at hand, but this represented a tribute to culture, community, and the notion that these aspects also matter in this troubled world — that’s why we fought so passionately,” she remarked. “People were rallying for something positive and beautiful, and we don’t want to convey the message that good cannot triumph.”
Ms. Joseph noted that advocates for the house had persistently come up with new proposals to save it, including one to relocate it from the wildlife preserve, right up until the final decision was made.
“The land was available, the funds were secured; the town was eager to have it back, and the governor wanted it preserved,” she explained, “but Fish and Wildlife simply did not seek a solution.”
In its announcement, the agency indicated that demolishing the house would enable them to rejuvenate the habitat for species such as the saltmarsh sparrow and establish a wildlife observation area.
A celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the house, which was built in 1925, will proceed as scheduled in June “with unwavering spirit,” as noted in a Facebook post from Ms. Joseph’s organization on Friday.
The group expressed gratitude to Ms. Healey, to an anonymous donor who pledged $1 million to help save the house, and to everyone who “visits, photographs, and paints the house throughout the year, under the moon, the milky way, the northern lights, at dawn and dusk.”