Former Phil Donahue/Marlo Thomas Westport Home Faces Demolition

WESTPORT, CT — A Beachside Avenue home in Westport, which was once owned by married celebrities Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas, is facing demolition, but has temporarily avoided the wrecking ball, reported the Westport Journal.

The waterfront property at 114 Beachside Ave. is the site of a nearly completed, 20,000 square foot mansion, which the owners built between the former Donahue/Thomas home and Long Island Sound.

Peggy Reiner and her family, who bought the home in 2020 from different owners, say the old Tudor-style home has fallen into disrepair, and while it has many beautiful elements, renovating it would be difficult.

It is infested with vermin, Reiner recently told the Westport Historic District Commission, and the roof is caving in, and it has sustained water damage, among other issues.

The commission reportedly will reconsider the demolition request in the future, likely in June.

According to meeting minutes for the April 11 Historic District Commission, the panel voted unanimously to "oppose the issuance of the demolition permit for 114 Beachside Avenue and require the full 180-day delay."

At the May 9 meeting, an agenda item stated that the panel may take action to "rescind adoption of the motion to oppose the issuance of the demolition permit at 114 Beachside Avenue, which motion was adopted at the April 11, 2023, meeting."

In a 2020 Fox Business article, it noted that the former Donahue and Thomas home had been listed for $28 million in 2020. Donahue and Thomas built the home in 2007 and sold it in 2013 for $20 million, according to Fox Business.

Read the full Westport Journal story.