NEWBURY, Mass. — A historic landmark in Newbury is no more, but a new sign aims to commemorate its significance to the Plum Island region.
An anonymous donor gifted the sign commemorating the former Pink House to the Town of Newbury, “ensuring that the memory and legend surrounding the house endures in perpetuity,” town officials said in a statement on Monday.
The Pink House was demolished on March 11, 2025, a century after it was built on Plum Island in Newbury in 1925.
Attempts to restore the landmark home were unsuccessful before a wrecking ball leveled it.
Gov. Maura Healey paused demolition of the historic home on the North Shore in October 2024. In July 2024, the home was up for auction. But no one bought the dilapidated home, which posed hazards including lead-based paint, asbestos, and mold.
Public outcry arose when, in 2011, initial demolition plans were discussed, after the US Fish and Wildlife Service/Parker River Wildlife Refuge took possession of the house.
In 2015, The Pink House Inc., a nonprofit, was formed in response, drawing support from several federal and state elected officials.
The mission to save the Pink House received international attention.
But in the end, no attempts could save the aging structure overlooking the ocean.
Last week, town officials erected a sign marking the historic spot where the Pink House once stood at 60 Plum Island Turnpike. The sign was crafted and installed by Rick Salmonson of Bridge Road Signs.
“The Pink House may be gone from the marsh, but it still rises in the heart,” Newbury Select Board Chair William DiMaio said in a statement.
DiMaio, Select Board Vice Chair Alicia Greco, and Select Board Member Patrick Heffernan formally accepted the sign on behalf of the town, hailing it as an important historic landmark.
The engraved sign, which is suspended between two granite posts, reads: “The Pink House. Honoring 100 Years of Memories. Demolished March 11, 2025, but never forgotten.”
Bruce Stott and his family were the last owners of The Pink House and called it home for nearly 50 years.
“Our Pink House came to mean a great deal to so many, in countless ways. In this historic area, now it too will be forever remembered,” Stott said in a statement.
A Pink House memorial celebration is being planned for early June near the site, officials said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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