Les Paul’s New Jersey home sold for $990K, then demolished; son says family got no warning

A 1957 photo of Les and Mary with their collie (Image credit: Ben Martin/Getty Images via Guitar Player) The New Jersey home where legendary guitarist and inventor Les Paul lived, worked and helped reshape modern music recording has been demolished, just weeks after the seven-acre Mahwah property was sold for $990,000. The loss drew particular attention because the house was not simply a former celebrity residence; it included the spaces where Paul experimented with sound, developed recording techniques and worked on ideas that would influence generations of musicians and producers. Les Paul’s son, Gene Paul, spoke about the demolition in a Facebook post, saying the family received no advance warning that the property was going to be demolished. He described the loss of the home as deeply painful and questioned how the property had been handled.What was lost with the Mahwah home?The property was sold on July 22, 2026, for $990,000, according to reporting by Stephanie Iken. It was a more than 6,300-square-foot home on seven acres in Mahwah's Deerhaven community. Within weeks, the structure had been demolished. The controversy stems from what the building represented. According to Gu...