Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced that she’s asked that demolition of the abandoned Pink House on Plum Island be paused for further talks on how to keep the beloved structure.
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The looming demolition of the iconic Massachusetts building known as the Pink House is on hold, Gov. Maura Healey announced Wednesday.
The abandoned building on Plum Island in Newbury had been slated for demolition this week, but Healey said her office was discussing other options with federal authorities and others.
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"The Pink House is a beloved local landmark that makes valuable contributions to the North Shore economy by attracting tourists and artists from across the country," Healey said in a statement. "I'm grateful for the strong leadership and advocacy of Senator Bruce Tarr, Representative Kristen Kassner, Support The Pink House and the community to save this historic building. We look forward to continued conversations with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to chart the best path forward for The Pink House, the community and the environment."
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A vocal group of North Shore residents have been pushing to save the picturesque house along the Plum Island Turnpike, a favorite subject for artists, for almost a decade.
This weekend, an anonymous resident donated $1 million for the Fish and Wildlife Service, which bought the home and the nine acres of mainly marsh that it sits on for $375,000 some 13 years ago, in an effort to find a solution for keeping the building.
A representative for the federal agency, who on Wednesday confirmed that Healey had asked to discuss the building before its removal, reiterated Wednesday that the donation, while generous, wouldn't help with either of the two possible solutions, "a suitable land for an exchange or an organization or individual to acquire and move the Pink House."
Fish and Wildlife Services will discuss the situation with Healey and state officials shortly and will soon thereafter have more to share, the representative said.
"Over the past eight years, our team has worked to identify an alternate solution in partnership with regional and national offices, local, state, and federal elected officials, and community members," the representative said in an email, which also noted that the building "is a safety hazard" in a flood zone that requires constant maintenance.
It's "not compatible with the refuge's mission to conserve wildlife and their habitats. Therefore, the decision we made to remove the structure is in the best interest of our conservation mission," the statement continued.
No one bid on the house at a public auction this July.
The effort to save the structure has been led by a group called Support the Pink House, whose president, Rochelle Joseph, compared it to the Citgo sign in Fenway.
"We are extremely grateful for the sincere interest and quick action of Governor Healey, Senator Tarr and Rep Kassner to stop the demolition and look forward to swiftly working on the very real solutions that exist," she said in a statement Wednesday.
