The Los Angeles home where Marilyn Monroe died was declared a historic landmark Wednesday, thwarting the current owners’ plans to demolish the property.
The house was the home of the “Some Like It Hot” screen singer for the last six months of her life, until her death from a drug overdose in 1962.
More than half a century later, Monroe remains one of the most beloved figures in American pop culture, and fans as well as preservationists have been closely monitoring the controversy over the home’s future.
Property heiress Brina Milstein and her reality TV producer husband, Roy Banks, purchased the Spanish Colonial-style home in the Brentwood neighborhood last summer for $8.35 million.
The couple owned adjoining houses and wanted to combine the two properties. This construction involved demolishing Monroe’s house.
But when permission was issued to demolish the building in September last year, there was an immediate uproar and local politicians moved quickly to give the building protected status.
Last month, the owners sued the city of Los Angeles for “illegal and unconstitutional conduct.”
Their petition says Monroe occasionally lived in the home for “a mere six months,” and the couple claims more than a dozen previous owners since 1962 have altered the building to the point where it is unrecognizable.
Those objections were overruled Wednesday, as city councilors approved giving the house historic cultural monument status.
Marilyn Monroe’s last home in the Brentwood neighborhood
Photo Credit: AFP
Monroe purchased the one-story, 3,000-square-foot mansion in 1962, just after her divorce from playwright Arthur Miller.
Councilwoman Tracy Park, whose district the home falls in, said, “There is no other person or place as iconic in the City of Los Angeles as Marilyn Monroe and her Brentwood home.”
“Some of the most world-famous photographs ever taken of him were taken in that house, on those grounds and by his pool.
“There is probably no woman in history or culture who has captured the public imagination like Marilyn Monroe. Even after all these years, her story continues to influence and inspire many of us.”
Monroe’s striking looks and strong acting made her one of the most bankable movie stars of her era.
The “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” star’s name was linked to some of the most eligible men of her era during her lifetime, including President John F. Kennedy, who sang “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to her at Madison Square Garden.
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