NEWBURY — If you are interested in saving – by purchasing – the Pink House, you can begin bidding at 10 a.m. Wednesday on a website run by GSA Auctions. The opening bid is $3,000.
The only catch? The house has to be removed from the federally owned Plum Island Turnpike location it has called home since its construction nearly 100 years ago. According to one estimate, moving the house to another piece of land could cost as much as $150,000.
The auction is for the iconic structure alone and not for the acre-sized parcel owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on which the property rests. The federal agency purchased the property and 9.2 acres for $375,000 in 2011.
Well before that, the house became a mecca for artists and photographers over the years. They flocked to the site, enchanted by the house’s distinct color and sweeping backdrops afforded by its unique location.
A local nonprofit organization, Support The Pink House, has been working with the federal government since 2015 to reach a potential land-swap agreement – or an individual occupancy option – to save the building. A pair of land-swap deals fell apart in 2020 and 2022.
In March, officials announced that time had run out for any potential land swaps and the house would be listed for auction.
“It’s wrong that it’s happening, but it’s happening,” Support The Pink House President Rochelle Joseph said Friday.
While owned by the Wildlife Service, the property is part of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and managed by Director Matt Hillman.
On Friday, Hillman said the auction doesn’t have a hard stop date and can be suspended or canceled “as needed.”
“The auction is not an absolute auction, meaning a definitive end date is not set. It depends on how the bids are entered. GSA expects it to be open anywhere between 30 (at minimum) to 60 days,” Hillman said in a statement.
Once the property is sold at auction, the winner has until Dec. 31 to find a new parcel for the house.
State Sen. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, who has long been an advocate for finding a way to save the structure, called the news “sad and frustrating,” especially after supporters have spent countless hours and substantial resources trying to reach a common goal.
“Yet, despite the availability of private funds,” Tarr said, “a wide array of properties that have been presented for a land exchange, and the active engagement of officials from the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and local, federal and state officials, our inability to effectively overcome the barriers presented by a set of federal rules is thwarting an outcome that would not only bring benefits to the stakeholders that would be part of an agreement, but which also has broadly demonstrated public support.”
Should the auction prove unsuccessful, the house would likely be demolished, according to Support The Pink House members.
Joseph said her group could write a check for the house “today,” but because it would have to be moved at a price tag of up to $150,000, they have no plans to bid.
“No we are not going to buy it,” Joseph said.
After years of raising money and public support, Joseph conceded there is very little her group can do.
Asked if that meant her group had lost all its power, Joseph pushed back.
“Oh, I don’t think so, the power is in the people,” she said.
Joseph said Pink House supporters have the power to continue letting elected officials know how displeased they are by the federal government’s stance and to hold those leaders accountable at the ballot box.
“This absolutely doesn’t have to be the outcome,” she said.
The long-unoccupied Pink House is a 1,514-square-foot, two-story residence with an unfinished basement and walk-up attic, according to the auction site.
It is made of wood, pressboard, shingles and has an asphalt roof. Interior walls are constructed of plaster and Sheetrock. The floors have carpet and linoleum. The basement is approximately 638 square feet and covered with standing water.
“Due to the age and condition of the structure, there is lead-based paint, asbestos and mold; no abatement has been conducted. No land is included in the sale,” the listing reads.
For more information on the property and to place a bid, visit realestatesales.gov/gsaauctions/aucdsclnk?sl=BOSTN124003001.
Daily News reporter Jim Sullivan contributed to this story.
Dave Rogers is the editor of The Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.
Dave Rogers is the editor of the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.