NEWBURY – There is a two-story house for sale on the road to Plum Island. Built in 1925, the 1,500-square-foot house has an unfinished basement and walk-up attic.
According to the description provided by General Services Administration (GSA), “The structure has been unoccupied for several decades. Due to its age and condition, there is lead-based paint, asbestos and mold; no abatement has been conducted.”
“THE CONDITION OF THE PROPERTY IS NOT WARRANTED,” the description says.
One hitch – the house does not come with any land. The 9 acres it sits on at 60 Plum Island Turnpike will remain with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (F&SW). The house must be removed within 90 days of the sale.
Would you bid on this house?
Even in the extremely low inventory of homes on the North Shore, no one has offered even $3,000, the minimum bid on the house, as of last week.
Sandy Tilton, a Support the Pink House (STPH) board member, asked, “After saying for months the Pink House is not safe, they wonder why no one is bidding.”
Several local contractors who have toured the home contradict the government’s description, saying the elements within are common in many of the cottages they restore and that while F&WS has let the house run down under its ownership, The Pink House is still entirely salvageable.
Tilton said she has heard the care for the house described as “benign neglect.”
Meanwhile 1,400 supporters and growing have signed a petition asking the GSA to stop the auction and come up with a different solution to the impasse between the F&WS, owners of the Pink House, and the STPH.
In a letter to the public, published in the Newburyport Daily News last week, Matt Hillman the manager for the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, acknowledged that the decision to auction off the Pink House was an unpopular one.
“While we understand that relocation or repurposing of the house by auction is not an ideal path for some, others have expressed hope that this could serve as a last resort to preserve the house’s memory. It was based on this feedback that we are providing an opportunity for the public to purchase the structure.
“We believe this is in the best interest for the long-term preservation of both the house and the habitats we manage.”
Hillman continued: “We share common ground, and even when that ground is shaky, we are still rooted in a mutual love for conserving wild things and wild places. We will continue to work with the community, and respectfully navigate conflict, to stay true to that mission.”
The auction, which began on July 10, has no official end date.
Tilton said the community supporters of the house are angry and exhausted at fighting to keep the government from tearing down an icon that is one of the most photographed and painted structures on the North Shore.
The F&WS purchased the house for $375,000. It spent about $5,000 on a 33-page environmental assessment that concluded that the Pink House needed to be removed. If it costs $50,000 to $90,000 to tear it down, the government will have invested almost a half million dollars of taxpayer money in an asset it is unlikely to recoup in this auction, Tilton said.
The F&WS also plans to build a two-car parking lot and fenced-in benches when the Pink House is gone.
Hillman in his public letter, wrote: “Removing the house and restoring the area to productive habitat provides the best long-term health and sustainability of the lands and waters we’re trusted to conserve.
“This decision was not one made hastily or easily. We understand fully the strong sense of place that draws many to the Pink House, and we acknowledge the cultural values impacted by its loss.
“It is undeniably difficult to lose places and memories we love, but in the natural environment, change is constant, and the salt marsh has become an untenable home for the Pink House.”
Bidders can register with a deposit of $1,500, which allows them to tour the house.
For more information, visit www.gsa.gov/about-us/gsa-regions/region-1-new-england/region-1-newsroom/press-releases/gsa-announces-public-sale-of-the-pink-house-in-newbury-mass-for-offsite-removal-07102024
