Credit: Courtesy of Maureen McDonald and Anchor Realty
The gingerbread cottages of the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association (aka the Campground) have long been a must-see for island visitors. But have you ever wondered what it would be like to look out from one of these historic abodes? Come along on a visit to this Oak Bluffs enclave, and step inside one of its most colorful homes – a pink gingerbread cottage on Martha’s Vineyard.
Even in a neighborhood of distinctive cottages, the gingerbread house at 25 Butler Avenue in Oak Bluffs stands out. Built in 1870, it’s a favorite of visiting photographers and has been featured on several postcards. Credit: Courtesy of Maureen McDonald and Anchor Realty
This photo was taken not long after the cottage’s construction, before the exterior was repainted in hot pink. That change happened around 1940, when New York City artist Lillian Cotton bought the cottage for $200. Her bold color choice — which inspired the nickname the Pink House — was a bit controversial at the time, but before long other cottages started following suit, yielding the rainbow of colors we see at the Campground today. Credit: Courtesy of Maureen McDonald and Anchor Realty
The Pink House is cozy and bright inside, with newly refinished pine floors. The house features three sets of gothic double doors, which help the exterior spaces feel like extensions of the interior. There’s also a backyard with a new brick patio. Credit: Courtesy of Maureen McDonald and Anchor Realty
The cottage gets more natural light than most of its neighbors, thanks in large part to a wall of windows that was installed when portrait artist Jean Spencer owned the house. Credit: Courtesy of Maureen McDonald and Anchor Realty
Upstairs is a pair of bedrooms. This one opens onto the front balcony. (Taller visitors just have resign themselves to standing near the middle of the room.) Credit: Courtesy of Maureen McDonald and Anchor Realty
A 2017 restoration included new appliances in the kitchen — and yes, pink floors! Credit: Courtesy of Maureen McDonald and Anchor Realty
The cottage’s current owner, Maureen McDonald, didn’t know that Lillian Cotton had also painted the interior of the cottage pink until she discovered this painting by Cotton on eBay. The artwork has since returned home to the property that inspired it. Credit: Courtesy of Maureen McDonald and Anchor Realty
The two-bed, one-bath Pink House at 25 Butler Avenue is being sold turnkey — with even the artwork included — for $635,000. For more information, contact Lisa Lucier of Anchor Realty by calling 508-696-7777 or emailing lisa@anchorrealtymv.com. Credit: Courtesy of Maureen McDonald and Anchor Realty
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Joe Bills
Former associate editor Joe Bills is the co-owner of Escape Hatch Books in Jaffrey, New Hampshire. After nearly a decade of fact-checking, responding to readers, and writing several articles for Yankee, he now brings his expertise to our sister publication The Old Farmer's Almanac.
