WILMINGTON — A landmark from one of Wilmington’s most famous film productions is heading to auction.
Located at 6401 Pine Grove Drive, the home was a filming location for the Y2K-era teen drama “Dawson’s Creek.” Bids start at $25,000 and are being accepted beginning Feb. 21 and the online auction will close March 21.
In the show, the house belonged to Joey Potter, played by Katie Holmes, and her sister, Bess, performed by local Wilmington actress Nina Repeta. Across from Quail Ridge Road and set back from the street near the marsh, the 1,100-square-foot home appeared in the first seasons of the series and in later seasons was turned into the Potter B&B run by the two sisters.
The sale will only include the house, not the land it’s on; the house will need to be relocated after purchase.
The property owner, listed as Coastal Port LLC in county records, enlisted the help of local real estate agent Chris Luther. Luther told Port City Daily Thursday the task was a little outside his lane and, along with the property owner, wasn’t sure if auctioning the house alone would be viable.
“The interest in the show and what the house is, and whose house it was on the show, with it being Katie Holmes, we said, ‘Well, you know what? There’s only one way to find out,’” Luther said.
The three bed, four bath house is fully functional and has served as a residence since “Dawson’s Creek” wrapped in 2003. It also has been moved before.
Luther shared the property owner relocated it to the left side of the 2.39-acre property a few years ago to build another residence. A family member lived in the “Dawson’s Creek” house for a little while, but eventually moved out.
According to Luther, it made the most sense to see what interest there was in preserving the structure rather than razing it. He shared the house is still very consistent with how it looked on “Dawson’s Creek,” with minor updates due to its age.
The last purchase of the property was for $1 million, per county tax records. Steven Warwick, who manages the LLC holding the property now, bought it from Robert F. and Catherine Warwick.
County tax records show the land alone is worth $854,000, while the two buildings on the parcel are valued at $1.16 million cumulatively.
Luther noted the value will be based on whatever a buyer is willing to pay and their vision for the property.
“[This project] is just such an anomaly, honestly,” Luther said. “If somebody wants to move it and make it an Airbnb and say ‘Come stay where Katie Holes stayed in Dawson’s Creek.’ Or, you know, somebody wants to move it out to a lot and live out of it — there’s a lot of uses for it,”
Luther said he’s already received “pretty good” interest since this morning when the group sent out a press release announcing the auction.
Though the auction website launched Thursday, the bidding won’t start until Friday. There have been several open houses scheduled for the property — for Feb. 23, March 9, March 12 and March 15.
The auction will occur solely online with bidders being able to see pricing in real-time. It will close at 5 p.m. March 21. Payment is cash only with a 10% buyer’s premium added to the winning bid.
The group is asking for the house to be moved 30 days after the auction, though Luther noted there’s some flexibility as long as the buyer is acting in good faith.
Tips or comments? Email info@portcitydaily.com.
Want to read more from PCD? Subscribe now and then sign up for our morning newsletter, Wilmington Wire, and get the headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.
