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People can confirm that Richard Gere’s former Connecticut home has been officially demolished.
Pretty Woman Star, 75, and his wife, Alejandra Gere, 42, sold property in Canaan, Connecticut for $10.75 million prior to their relocation to Spain in October 2024. The 32-acre site will be used to build nine property developments by new owners.
Reggie Young, founder of the Hudson Valley House part, confirms with people that the 1930s build is no longer standing, as seen in exclusive aerial photography. Before meeting Wrecking Ball, the New York-based company collaborated with New Jersey locations, Delaware Valley House Parts and Green Circle Auctions to work with developers who bought it to save the architectural gems inside.
“We checked in recently and our house was knocked down,” Young tells people. “We are grateful that the buyers allowed us time to rescue and put everything out.”
Eric Hauj
Hudson Valley House Part documented the building rescue process in a video previously shared with Instagram. The clip included a short tour of previously invisible areas as they showed off some of the rescued pieces, including nautical-themed steel bay windows, Greek Revival entrances and carved limestone mantles.
“Many of the items on this project are in stock of Delaware Valley House parts in Lambertville, New Jersey, and will eventually find a home that will be reused,” he adds.
Hudson Valley House Parts
Young also expresses gratitude to the new owner who allowed them to save these architectural elements before the house descends.
“We are delighted to be happy to give buyers time to work with us so that they can hire talented teams and ultimately protect these materials from landfills,” he says.
Richard and Alejandra gave up their wealth so they could place their roots in Alejandra’s home country of Spain, but she later admitted that the family had plans to return to the United States in a few years.
The couple shares two sons, Alexander, six, James, and five together. Alejandra also shares his ex-husband, government Friedland and son Albert, 11-year-old son Albert and Richard with ex-wife Carrie Lowell and son Homer.
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Richard Gere/Instagram
In an April 2024 interview with Vanity Fair Spain, Richard revealed why the pair made the decision to move to Madrid.
“It’s great for Alejandra to get closer to her family, her lifelong friends and her culture,” he said at the time. “It’s fair to have at least six people living in my world because she was so generous.”
He added that starting a life in Madrid would be a “great adventure” for their family.
Alejandragere/Instagram
The couple, who tied the knot in 2018, decided to own Connecticut property for two years before selling it. The runaway bride star reportedly wanted to turn it into a farm at some point, according to a local outlet, a new Canaan advertiser.
They purchased a six-bedroom, 11-bathroom residence from their previous owner for $10.8 million in 2022: Simon & Garfunkel musician Paul Simon and his wife Eddie Brickel.
Hudson Valley House Parts
Simon and Brickell’s daughter Lulu Simon, 30, previously expressed her anger in July that her childhood home was being demolished in her Instagram story.
The singer claimed that Gere had promised her family that he would “take care of the land” when he purchased the property. She also claimed it was a “condition for his purchase” to preserve the house, but she did not further elaborate on the alleged contract.
Lulu Simon/Instagram
Young has a passionate career of saving old homes and tells people: “If people are particularly interested in preservation, they need to be involved and ensure that the community creates historic districts, the only legal mechanism that will ensure things are not demolished.
He said, “We see a massive increase in the number of houses coming down. We want to be part of a movement that connects people with objects of meaning, history and beauty.”