Residents ramping up efforts to save beloved Pink House

NEWBURY, Mass. — The residents of Plum Island are determined to save the beloved "Pink House."

"When I start this drive on the Plum Island Turnpike, I feel my blood pressure go down. And when I drive by that little house, it's one of the things that makes the area so special and so unique,” Rochelle Joseph told FOX25.

A landmark that was built in the 1920s, the Pink House sits right off the Plum Island Turnpike and is a pale shade of pink. The Pink House was reportedly built out of spite by a man divorcing his wife and it's changed hands a few times since then. It was sold to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2011.

State wildlife officials have given residents one year to come up with a plan, or they're going to tear down the blighted house and put in a tower or bird watching. The refuge says the cost to bring it up to code after years of weather and neglect would be huge.

"Little kids come up to us and say it's their dream house. Artists love it. They go back to photograph it or paint it in different lighting conditions. It's just special to everybody,” Allison Odle said.

Joseph and Odle started "Support the Pink House",  a group aimed at saving it from the wrecking ball.

“It's what gives the place character and when we tear it down, it's gone,” Joseph said.

Ken Richardson has lived across the street his whole life and used to hang out at the home when it was occupied. His wife Arlene has used it as inspiration for her artwork.

Arlene says her uncle thought about buying the house, but said it would be too big a job to take on.

Residents are having a meeting to discuss options Wednesday night.

Cox Media Group