Marilyn Monroe’s Los Angeles Home Named Historic Monument, Halting Demolition
The final home of Marilyn Monroe, the only residence she ever independently owned, has been saved from demolition after Los Angeles officials intervened. The property, located at 12305 Fifth Helena Drive in Brentwood, was under threat of being torn down by its new owners, sparking widespread outrage and calls for preservation.
Los Angeles city councilwoman Traci Park, who represents the district where the house is located, received hundreds of calls urging her to save the Spanish colonial-style home. “Unfortunately, the department of building and safety issued a demolition permit before my team and I could fully intervene and get this issue resolved,” Park said at a news conference, emphasizing the need for “urgent action.”
Park introduced a motion to consider the home for historic preservation, which the council unanimously approved. This action prompted the city’s building department to revoke the demolition permit and prevent any major alterations to the property while its potential status as a landmark is reviewed. “This will be the first step in ensuring that we can protect this home against demolition,” Park stated.
The property, featuring a guest house and swimming pool, was purchased in 2017 for $7.25 million by Glory of the Snow LLC, managed by a hedge fund executive. It was sold to the Glory of the Snow Trust for $8.35 million earlier this year. The new owner’s intentions for the property remain unclear, as no plans have been submitted.
Monroe bought the single-story, 2,900-square-foot house in the early 1960s for $75,000 after her third marriage to playwright Arthur Miller ended. It was the only home she ever independently owned. The screen legend, known for films like “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” “Some Like It Hot,” and “The Misfits,” was found dead in a bedroom of the home in August 1962 at the age of 36. Her death was ruled as acute barbiturate poisoning.
Monroe had named the home “Cursum Perficio,” a Latin phrase meaning “My journey ends here,” which adorned tiles on the home’s front porch. The global concern about the home reaffirms its significance, Park said. “For people all over the world, Marilyn Monroe was more than just a movie icon. Her story, from her challenging childhood growing up in orphanages and foster homes to becoming a global sensation, is a shining example of what it means to overcome adversity,” she added.
The Los Angeles City Council’s unanimous vote to approve the motion introduced by Park has declared the home a historic cultural monument, preventing its demolition. “We have an opportunity to do something today that should have been done 60 years ago,” Park said before the vote. “There is no other person or place in the city of Los Angeles as iconic as Marilyn Monroe and her Brentwood home.”
The decision follows a months-long battle between the council and the home’s owners, Roy Bank and Brinah Milstein, who own a property next door. The couple bought Monroe’s former home in July 2023 for $8.35 million with plans to demolish the house to expand their estate. They obtained a demolition permit soon after, but Park introduced a motion to protect the home by granting it landmark status, receiving approval from the Cultural Heritage Commission and the Planning and Land Use Management Committee.
Bank and Milstein sued the city in May, alleging unconstitutional conduct to preserve the house. A judge denied their injunction request to stop the historical designation, and a trial-setting conference for the pending lawsuit is set for August 13. The couple claimed the city exaggerated Monroe’s connection to the house, stating she only lived there for “a mere six months before she tragically committed suicide 61 years ago.”
The lawsuit alleges the city violated its own codes and procedures in pushing for the monument designation. “All of these backroom machinations were in the name of preserving a house which in no way meets any of the criteria for a ‘Historic-Cultural Monument,'” the lawsuit states. The suit also claims the city’s actions have caused “irreparable” harm to the building’s owners and robbed them of “their vested rights as owners of real property.”
Despite the legal battle, the sentiment among fans and historians is clear: the home should be preserved as a crucial piece of Hollywood and Los Angeles history. “Some of the most world-famous images ever taken of her were in that home, on those grounds and near her pool. Marilyn tragically died there — forever tying her in time and place to this very home,” Park said. “There is likely no woman in history or culture who captures the imagination of the public the way Marilyn Monroe did. Even all these years later, her story still resonates and inspires many of us today.”
The Los Angeles City Council’s decision to protect Monroe’s home underscores its cultural and historical significance. The house, with its beamed ceilings, terra-cotta tile floors, and large backyard swimming pool surrounded by lush citrus trees, remains a testament to Monroe’s legacy. As the city reviews its potential status as a landmark, the home stands as a symbol of Monroe’s enduring impact on Hollywood and the world.
Source: Reuters, Fox Business, CBS News
