Federal authorities still plan to demolish Pink House on Plum Island, report says

The federal agency that owns the Pink House, a historic landmark on Plum Island built in 1925, said it still plans to demolish the house, a day after Gov. Maura Healey said demolition would be paused, according to reports.

In a statement Wednesday, Healey said she had paused the planned demolition of the beloved North Shore structure, named for the color of its exterior, “pending discussions between the Governor’s Office, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other stakeholders to determine a path forward ” ”

The house, abandoned for years, was purchased by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service along with 11 acres of nearby salt marsh in 2011. according to the State Duma News Service. A federal agency purchased nearby land and a home to protect the area from development.

Since 2016, the agency has tried several solutions to save the home, including auctionSNS reports this. Because there were no bidders and the condition of the Pink House had become so bad that it was no longer safe to go near it, it was scheduled to be demolished this week.

Last week, an anonymous donor pledged $1 million to save the Pink House, but the federal agency said the money still doesn’t change the environmental and safety concerns the structure poses.

Matt Hillman, refuge manager for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said he did wait to stop the demolition as the governor requested, SHNS reported Thursday. But he remains concerned about the poor condition and safety risks of the building.

In a statement to SHNS, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the Pink House’s poor structure and ongoing maintenance in an “increasingly active flood zone” is inconsistent with its mission to preserve wildlife and their homes.

“Therefore, the decision we made to demolish the structure is in the best interests of our conservation mission,” the service told SHNS.