After a little more than three years of effort, music industry legend Paul Simon has sold his 1938-built Colonial in Connecticut. The singer/songwriter/producer and one half of acclaimed duo Simon & Garfunkel listed the property for the first time in the spring of 2019, asking $13.9 million. In the end, he accepted an offer of $10.8 million for the house, according to public records.
The recent closing does, however, represent a loss for Simon and his wife, fellow singer-songwriter Edie Brickell. The duo purchased the home in the heady pre-crash days of the early 2000s, paying $16.5 million.
The New Canaan estate’s a beaut, though. The home features a rambling footprint that suggests leisure and encourages discovery, and it is clad in red brick coated with whitewash that’s been pleasingly weathered by the years, giving it an aura of historicity.
The grounds come in at 31.79 acres; gardens, stone retaining walls, a pond, a swimming pool and a guest house are positioned around the main home, while flowing carpets of tree-dotted lawn fall away into the distance. The interiors of the main home show off a thoughtful blend of original details and updates, with French and louvered doors, scraped plank hardwood floors, a few recessed ceiling fixtures, and walls packed with floor-to-ceiling built-in bookshelves.
The home’s three levels allow for a season-blind extravagance: a trio of indoor/outdoor living spaces overlooking the pool. The top level is a roofless terrace, while the middle section is occupied by an enclosed sunroom; a small stone loggia on the ground level completes the series.
Simon & Garfunkel’s discography reflects a neat progression to the top, with 1968’s Bookends, their fourth studio album, becoming their first chart-topper. The following album would be their last—and by far their most successful; 1970’s Bridge Over Troubled Waters reached the top of the charts in the U.S. and in most markets worldwide. With sales of exceeding 25 million units, it was, at the time of its release, the best-selling album of all time. But Simon had more hits left in him; he went on to release a slew of well-received albums as a solo artist. He scored a chart-topper with 1975’s Still Crazy After All These Years, while 1986’s Graceland ,which peaked at number 3, racked up sales of 16 million units.
