The firsts are always special; perhaps that is why Marilyn Monroe’s Brentwood home held more significance in her life. In 1962, after her marriage to playwright Arthur Miller failed, the Hollywood icon bought the first house that she ever purchased on her own. The house was like a fresh start, the beginning of something new. However, little did anyone know that Marilyn Monroe’s first house was going to be her last residence. The Hollywood icon spent her final days in the Brentwood house, but the tale of this property didn’t end with her demise. Over the years, it had several owners, multiple renovations, and in 2023, it came on the verge of demolition. That is when things took a surprising turn, and the house not only got saved from demolition, but was voted to be designated as a historical monument.
Why was Marilyn Monroe’s house on the verge of demolition?
Owing to the Marilyn Monroe connection, the house always remained an object of fascination for fans, Hollywood history buffs, and, of course, the real estate big-wigs. After Monroe’s passing, the property changed hands several times. Los Angeles Times reported that in 2023, the Marilyn Monroe Brentwood house was sold for $8.35 million to neighbouring homeowners Brinah Milstein and Roy Bank. They appealed to demolish the property and incorporate the land into their adjoining estate. This immediately caused intense public outrage, and Monroe fans rallied against the demolition.
How was Marilyn Monroe’s house saved from demolition?
The demolition appeal faced a major preservation battle, led by Marilyn Monroe fans, historians, and preservationists. They argued that the property was too closely connected with one of the most famous figures in Hollywood history to be destroyed. The Los Angeles City Council eventually stepped in and voted to designate the residence a Historic-Cultural Monument.“We have an opportunity to do something today that should’ve been done 60 years ago. There’s 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 a speech before the vote, reported the LA Times.The Councilmember continued, “To lose this piece of history, the only home that Monroe ever owned, would be a devastating blow for historic preservation and for a city where less than 3% of historic designations are associated with women’s heritage.”The homeowners filed a lawsuit to keep the demolition on track; it read, “There is not a single piece of the house that includes any physical evidence that Ms. Monroe ever spent a day at the house, not a piece of furniture, not a paint chip, not a carpet, nothing.”However, the judge denied the claim and called their lawsuit an “ill-disguised motion to win so that they can demolish the home and eliminate the historic cultural monument issue,” according to ABC 7.
Marilyn Monroe’s first home: All about the Brentwood house
According to Architectural Digest, Marilyn Monroe bought her first house, the Brentwood abode, for $75,000. Known for its Spanish Colonial style, the property was built in 1929. Its opulence could be seen and sensed at every corner. The gated, L-shaped house with a red-tile roof on a cul-de-sac had white stucco walls and wood-beamed ceilings, and soon became one of the most talked-about Hollywood properties. Further, Monroe’s bedroom and the living room had a tiled fireplace. The living room also had patio doors leading to a courtyard. Other key features included a small guesthouse, a swimming pool, and a spacious garden.When the Hollywood icon bought the house, she wanted to give it her own touch. In order to personalise the place and call it her own haven, Marilyn started decorating the house with items she had personally selected during trips to Mexico. In a 1962 interview with Life magazine, she described her Brentwood home as her “cute little Mexican-style house with eight rooms.”
Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her Brentwood house
In 1962, Monroe marked a new chapter of her life with the purchase of the Brentwood property. However, her happiness was short-lived. Just six months after buying the house, according to the Los Angeles Times, Marilyn Monroe was found dead on August 5, 1962, in her bedroom.
