Richard Gere's $11M Connecticut Home Demolished for Nine-Property Development

Richard Gere and his wife Alejandra Silva sold their 32-acre Connecticut estate in New Canaan for $10.75 million in October 2024 before relocating to Spain. The historic 1930s mansion, purchased from singer Paul Simon and Edie Brickell in 2022, has since been demolished to make way for a nine-property luxury development. Salvage experts from Hudson Valley House Parts, along with partners Delaware Valley House Parts and Green Circle Auctions, rescued and preserved many architectural elements from the home, including vintage fixtures, ornate woodwork, and stonework, which will be reused elsewhere. Paul Simon's daughter Lulu Simon publicly criticized Gere for allegedly breaking a promise to preserve the property, accusing him of selling it to developers despite pledging to take care of the land. The demolition marks the end of Gere's plans for the estate, which reportedly included turning it into a working farm before the move to Spain. The new owners' cooperation allowed salvagers to recover valuable pieces, preventing them from ending up in landfills.