The saga over whether Marilyn Monroe’s Brentwood home should be spared from demolition was resolved Wednesday when the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to designate it as a historic cultural monument.
Its long-term fate, however, remains in limbo.
“There is no other person or place in the city of Los Angeles as iconic as Marilyn Monroe and her Brentwood home,” Councilmember Traci Park said in her remarks before the vote. “Some of the most world-famous images ever taken of her were in that home, on those grounds, near her pool, and that Marilyn tragically died there forever ties her in time and place to this very home.”
Monroe purchased the Spanish Colonial-style home at 12305 5th Helena Dr. for $75,000 in 1962. She lived there for just six months before she died there from a drug overdose at age 36.
It was the only home she ever owned.
Last year, the current owners obtained permitting to raze the home and build a new residence before city leaders and preservationists intervened, setting into motion a review of its cultural significance.
“To lose this piece of history … would be a devasting blow for historic preservation and for a city where less than three percent of historic designations are associated with women’s heritage,” Park, whose 11th District includes Brentwood, told the council.
Her fellow council members agreed, voting 12-0 in favor of the historic designation.
Park said she was working closely with the property owners on a long-term solution that could see the home potentially relocated, noting that street traffic from tourists, including tour buses, has been a nuisance.
“While that [plan] hasn’t happened yet, I remain hopeful and committed to working with the property owners to see if this can be done in the future,” Park said. “But today, let’s preserve this essential piece of L.A.’s history and culture.”