#architectural-salvage

#architectural-salvage

Pulling off a new build that feels convincingly like an English estate requires more than cosmetic gestures. "The architecture of the home starts with authenticity," says Paragano, who begins projects like this by focusing on the home's massing-its overall form and proportions-and by reestablishing the traditionally defined spaces of a historic house. "Then we reinforce that with authentic detailing through materials," he adds.

The six-bedroom, seven-bathroom Georgian-style mansion, which was designed by architect Harold Reeve Sleeper, was demolished along with a 2,400-square-foot guest cottage to make way for nine new lots. This is likely sad news for Simon's daughter, Lulu Simon, who grew up in that house and hates Richard Gere. ("I hope my dead pets buried in that backyard haunt you until you descend into a slow and unrelenting madness," she wrote in July.)