The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will go forward on its plans to demolish the “Pink House” along Plum Island Turnpike in Newbury, officials announced Friday, months after Gov. Maura Healey stopped an earlier plan to tear down the structure.
In October, Healey reached an agreement with the wildlife service to pause demolition to allow for additional conversations about ways to save the structure, which sits on a salt marsh. But after a “thorough and collaborative effort among all parties,” officials could not come to an agreement on a plan to relocate the structure.
The Fish and Wildlife Service will begin demolition this month.
Last August, the service said it had no choice but to tear down the structure after a public auction closed without any bids. In March, the service concluded the home had to be moved from its current site because the house “contains materials harmful to human health, including asbestos, and requires frequent maintenance to prevent catastrophic damage.”
In a statement, Healey said officials remain “committed to working together to evaluate additional steps we can take to ensure that the legacy of the Pink House will endure.”
Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-First Essex and Middlesex), whose district includes Newburyport, said he was “frustrated and disappointed” no solution could be found to save the house.
But the efforts to do so will become “part of the Pink House legacy that holds special meaning for the region and our Commonwealth,” he said.
Support the Pink House President Alison Odle, whose organization led much of the public organizing to save the home, said “we join all who will be completely devastated by the imminent loss of this treasured landmark and what it could have become.”
Built in 1925, the two-story, three-bedroom house is surrounded by salt marsh and tidal creek, with the turnpike to the north, and has been subject to increased flooding in recent years. The structure flooded at least twice in 2024, and sea level rise means it likely will again if the house remains where it is, according to the service.
For decades, the home was owned by The Cutter Family, a prominent Newburyport family that owned a cafe and had ties to the Fern Shoe Company, according to research conducted by Support The Pink House. The Cutters eventually sold the home in 1947, and its ownership bounced around before it was sold to Milton and Juliette Stott in 1960. The Stotts were the last occupants of the home, which was bought by the service in 2011.
Once the house is removed, the Fish and Wildlife Service intends to transform the site by restoring it to a wildlife habitat and opening part of the property to the public. Earlier plans called for the construction of an observation platform on the site but after hearing community feedback, the service will instead install benches and educational panels for public use.
