The Los Angeles home where Marilyn Monroe last lived won't be demolished and redeveloped after all, thanks to the city council voting unanimously to designate it a historic cultural monument.
Monroe purchased the home - a 1920s hacienda - at 12305 West 5th Helena Drive in the Brentwood area, for $75,000 in 1962. Despite its modest scale and unpretentious nature, the 2,600-square-foot bungalow gained worldwide fame in 1962 as the location of Monroe’s apparent overdose at the age of 36. The walled and gated property was the only house ever owned by the legendary actress, and in the 60 years since, the estate has become one of the city’s most famous local landmarks.
"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 percent of historic designations are associated with women's heritage," said council member Traci Park.
Monroe died at just 36, but interest in the actress has continued more than six decades after her death. As just one measure, Forbes ranked her 12th on its latest list of the highest-paid dead celebrities. Between 1 October 2022 and 30 September 2023, Monroe's estate had made $10 million on licensing and merchandising deals, Forbes calculated.
Real estate heiress Brinah Milstein and TV producer Roy Bank, who own the estate next door, reportedly bought the Monroe house (which sits on a half acre plot) in 2023 for $8.35 million, with the intention of knocking it down and enlarging their own, reports Entertainment Weekly.