Donor pledges $1 million to save Newbury's Pink House — but will that stop demolition?

Supporters of "Save the Pink House" rallied in Newbury, Massachusetts, Sunday with renewed hope to save the iconic North Shore landmark in the 11th hour.

Demolition could begin anytime this week, according to organizers with "Save The Pink House. The nonprofit has been trying to save the landmark along the Plum Island Turnpike for almost a decade -- now they're hoping a $1 million donation from an anonymous resident will change the tides.

“The motivation behind today was maybe a final sunset with the house before it's gone," organizer Heather Corbett Ortiz said. "The donation puts a whole different kind of drive behind it because we gathered here today thinking this was kind of it."

The Pink House has been a favorite subject for artists for almost a century.

"This house is a beacon," said world-traveling artist Sue Decker, who currently lives in France. "It’s like going to New York and seeing the Empire State Building.”

U.S. Fish and Wildlife paid $375,000 for the Pink House -- and the nine acres of marsh it sits on -- 13 years ago. The government bought it from the Stott family, who had hoped the building would be preserved and repurposed as a visitors center.

“This place was sold right when no one wanted it,” Bruce Stott told NBC10 Boston Sunday. "It has grown exponentially in the value to the community -- which we had no understanding.”

“I’m blessed to have today to appreciate it and hope that with the help of others that are still not ready to give up, perhaps it can be saved,” Linda Stott added. "And if it is demolished, so be it. We all die eventually."

Since it's on protected property, the only way the Pink House can stay is through a land exchange, but several deals have fallen through. The house was put up for auction in July, and since there were no bidders, the federal agency is tearing it down.

State Sen. Bruce Tarr has been working with U.S. Fish and Wildlife to find a solution.

"What’s really ironic about that is they’ve already abated the asbestos and hazardous materials, which is one of the reasons they said they needed to demolish the house,” Tarr said. “So it’s unfortunate that here we are with a set of rules and bureaucracy that is preventing this house from being saved.”

The National Wildlife Refuge System said in a statement Monday that they have been working to find solutions for the future of the Pink House since 2016. Among the solutions they've pursued were a potential land exchange. By law, the property exchange can only work if the new property can benefit the refuge system.

"Despite years of searching for willing landowners with properties that meet these criteria, no suitable exchange properties were found," A spokesperson for the National Wildlife Refuge System said.

Another idea that was considered was to auction off the building, so a private owner could then relocate it. No bids were received.

"We appreciate this week’s offer of a $1 million donation to maintain the Pink House, and are reviewing the details of the offer.  However, it is unclear how that donation would affect either of the two possible solutions -- identification of suitable land for an exchange or identification of an organization or individual to acquire and move the Pink House," a spokesperson wrote in an email.