Plum Island Pink House is up for auction. If it doesn't sell, it will be demolished.

If you're from the Newburyport area or ever visited Plum Island, you've probably heard of the Pink House, or seen it standing in front of the salt marsh.

If not, it's a long unoccupied two-story house that was built in 1925. Incredibly photogenic, it has been steadily sinking into the area's saltwater marsh ever since.

Now, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) has put the well-known house up for auction. The auction is the last chance for a group, named Support the Pink House, to save the local landmark from demolition.

For those who haven't been following the saga, here's what to know.

What's the history of the Plum Island Pink House?

Local folklore states that the construction was the result of a court order requiring a man to build a house for his ex-wife. She stated she wanted an exact replica of her former home. So in a show of malicious compliance, the man did as ordered but nothing was said about the location, so the house was built on the outskirts of town in the marsh and painted it pink.

In 1925,  Gertrude W. Cutter bought the house from widow Abbie K. Little, according to research by Support the Pink House. The Cutter family, who were prominent in Newburyport, owned the house for more than twenty years. They then sold it to Chester and Hilda Rogers in 1947, who two years later sold it to Harold and Hazel Proctor.

But after one year of living in the house, the Proctors didn't want it.

"According to a Proctor family member, Hazel Proctor was unhappy with the brackish running water inside the house so the Rogers agreed to buy The Pink House back," the Support the Pink House people wrote.

It changed hands a few more times before the FWS ended up with it.

In 2011, the house, along with the nine acres of land that came with it, was sold for $375,000 to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, one of FWS's preserves.

Why doesn't the FWS want the Pink House?

When the FWS took over the property, the Pink House was in rough shape, with flooding damage and unsafe building materials.

Starting in 2016, they looked for a site to relocate the house to, but came up empty-handed, according to a press release. Salvaging the house, they said, was not feasible.

"To maintain the house in perpetuity would strain the refuge's limited resources at the expense of wildlife conservation and other visitor needs. It contains materials harmful to human health, including asbestos, and requires frequent maintenance to prevent catastrophic damage. The property floods routinely — already twice this year — and sea level rise projections indicate flooding frequency in this area will increase. As a result, the long-term viability of the structure in its current location is untenable," FWS wrote in a press release in March 2024.

The auction is a last-chance effort to avoid demolition.

What are the details of the Plum Island Pink House auction?

The government put the building (no acreage) up for auction on Wednesday, with a starting bid of $3,000.

Site description:  "It is an approx. 1,514 square foot two-story residence with an unfinished basement and walk-up attic. The Structure is constructed of wood, pressboard, shingles and has an asphalt roof. Interior walls are constructed of plaster and sheetrock. Floors are carpet and linoleum. The basement is approximately 638 square feet and is covered with standing water.  The Structure has been unoccupied for several decades. 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 description goes on to say that the building must be removed within 90 days of sale.

As of Monday afternoon, no bids have been made.

Pink House featured on 'Cheap Old Houses' Instagram

Since the auction went live, the house has recieved some attention on social media.

The Pink House was featured on the Cheap Old Houses Instagram account last week. The people behind the account filmed an eight-episode television series on HGTV in 2021 of the same name, and has an audience of 2.8 million followers.

"I love this house. And I can’t believe that the powers that be have agreed to let it be auctioned off and removed," a lengthy caption said in part. "I’m not an expert on the situation, just a person trying to make sure we don’t lose one more blessed and beloved piece of our historical landscape. This is a local landmark that has enchanted generations of people."