Guitar Great Les Paul's Family Furious Over Demolition Of Mahwah Home

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — The former home of Mahwah resident Les Paul — considered the inventor of the solid-body electric guitar and multitrack audio recording — was demolished early this month, and his son says no one in the family was notified.

Gene Paul, 82 — the oldest surviving son of the legendary guitarist — told Patch in an interview Tuesday that a foundation was in control of the mansion on Deerhaven Road when it was sold over the summer. It was then demolished by the new owners.

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Paul said that after his father died in 2009, at the age of 94, the Les Paul Foundation — run by the guitarist's former manager — has controlled the house and its belongings.

Gene Paul, a North Jersey-based musician himself, said he and his younger siblings received little information about the guitar great's assets after his death, but preferred to stay cordial with the Foundation.

They always assumed they would be notified when the house was sold, he said Tuesday — so at least they could honor their father with a plaque or celebration there.

Paul said that he and his family members didn't get lawyers involved, but now he wants to speak out because of the shock of the demolition.

"We've been polite," Gene said from his North Jersey home on Tuesday night. "We've waited 17 years [to speak out]. When the house came down, I felt a pain I'd never felt before. It was the ultimate F-U. I can't sit here and let it go by."

Dawn Of Rock And Roll

Lester "Les Paul" Polsfuss was born in Wisconsin in 1915. He began playing music as a child, and experimented with his first Sears acoustic guitar to get the best sound, according to his bio.

He went on to invent a modern guitar that was sold by the company Gibson. He's the only person to have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the National Inventors' Hall of Fame.

Paul and his second wife, Mary Ford, recorded a string of blues and jazz hits in the 1950s at the dawn of rock and roll, gaining national fame on American Bandstand and other popular TV shows.

He moved to the Mahwah mansion in 1952 and filled it with equipment.

Moved In With His Dad

Gene Paul said that in his youngest years, he lived with his mother (Les Paul's first wife) in Chicago. But he dropped out of high school and moved to Mahwah to be with his dad when he was 14.

Gene had spent summers with his father in Mahwah, but at 14, he was able to learn about the industry full-time.

"It was marvelous because I didn't know I was getting trained, and I loved it," Gene said Tuesday night. "Dad would say, 'Go up hook up this equipment.' I learned a craft without knowing I was learning it. it was a delicious way to 'go to college.' I thought every dad made his own guitar, had his own eight-track recorder, and went out and made hit records. Later, I realized I had a special dad."

Gene, a drummer, learned enough to tour with his father in the late 1950s. He lived in the house for several decades, he said. Eventually he worked as a recording engineer for Atlantic Records in New York.

But he had fond memories of the home and the recording studio his dad built there.

Over the years, Les Paul's memory has been honored in several ways. The Mahwah Museum has held exhibits about the musician and celebrates his birthday each year with a concert.

Gene Paul said that he and his siblings always knew the house, left in disrepair, might come down — but they hoped to do something special before that happened. At least there should be a plaque near the house, he said.

The Sale

The house was listed for sale in April. It sold in July, according to online records.

Patch reached out to listing agent Helen Martino of Christie's, who did not respond.

"The property has an existing over 6,300 square feet structure that can be used to renovate and rebuild," the listing says. "So bring your builder and build your dream home on this once in a lifetime opportunity to live in the most beautiful area of New Jersey."

Gene Paul and another family friend told Patch that the new owners didn't realize they were buying Les Paul's old house. Gene said that at the last minute, a friend found out about the demolition and was able to grab a few items before the structure was totally destroyed.

Paul and other supporters have been posting about the situation online, making several statements.

On Tuesday, Gene Paul wrote, "I've been reading your comments, and many of you are asking how I could have let this happen. I understand why you're asking. The truth is, I didn't have the power to stop it. When my dad died, control of the Les Paul Foundation and all things connected to his estate, his money, his royalties and his legacy did not pass to me or our family...

"If it was a foregone conclusion that house needed to go, I feel like you feel…something could have been done to honor and celebrate Les' home, the recording studio, his laboratory and workshop."

Foundation Responds

The Les Paul Foundation published a statement on social media on Tuesday night saying, "We feel it is important to respond to the sadness expressed by Les Paul fans, friends and family over the sale and demolition of the Mahwah home. As in every case, two sides of a story always provide important details. Like so many people around the world — we are enormous fans of Les and respect his generous force in music history. That is why it is very important to clarify that Les Paul's legacy, personal history, and creative work have been treated with the utmost care.

"Before the home was cleared, artifacts, personal belongings, historically significant materials, documents, paperwork, and other items connected to Les's life and work were removed and preserved. And this wasn't an effort to just pack things up and put them away. This was a true and painstakingly thorough effort in so much that even the walls of his home studio were removed and are safely stored."

The statement notes that Rusty Paul, a son of Les who died in 2016, was involved in packing up the items.

"While the loss of the Mahwah home is deeply emotional, Les Paul's legacy was never confined to one building," the statement says. "It lives in his music, inventions, recordings, instruments, archives, and the countless artists and listeners he inspired. We remain committed to preserving and sharing that legacy with the care, respect, and reverence it deserves."

Residential Neighborhood

The letter concludes, "As a final note, one should be very aware that the house was in a residential neighborhood that would not permit the traffic, zoning and/or establishment of a public exhibition. And we hope to hear from Gene at some point as many calls and emails have been sent to him over the past few weeks with no response."

Gene Paul told Patch, "This was a slap of the face ... anywhere in the industry, if you ask about the guitar he put together or the multi-track recording machines, what he did by making that possible, that is a $4 billion dollar business today. Between that and the most iconic guitar ever made, do you think when you go Route 202 there shouldn't be a plaque saying, after 17 years, at least a plaque saying 'Les Paul lived here'?"

The workshop wasn't just a place to live and make music, say family friends; guitar legends including Jimmy Page and Eddie Van Halen visited Les Paul there.

Gene added, "I'll be damed if I'm disrespected. I don't care where all the money goes and all that crap, but now they take the house and sell it and nobody tells us they're tearing it down, not a word? Nobody said, 'Listen, this is your home too.'"

Caroline Galloway, a spokesperson for the Les Paul Foundation, said Wednesday that they will not comment further.

The Mahwah Museum has a permanent exhibit, "Les Paul In Mahwah." Find out more here.