Marilyn Monroe’s former home has been saved from demolition — at least for now. The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously last month to delay the destruction of the star’s Brentwood neighborhood residence by establishing it as a historic landmark.
Monroe bought the 2,900-square-foot house for $75,000 in 1962, the first home she had purchased in her own name. Six months later, the star was found dead in her bedroom at the age of 36 from a barbiturate overdose, according to medical examiners.
Hedge fund manager Dan Lukas and his wife Anne Jarmain purchased the 1929 Spanish-revival residence for $7.25 million in 2017. The buyers, in the name of the mysterious Glory of the Snow LLC, sold the home to an eponymous trust — headed by trustee Andrew Schure — earlier this year for $8.35 million. Hyperallergic was unable to reach Schure for comment.
But when the new owner filed a demolition permit with the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, approved on September 7, City Councilwoman Traci Park took notice.
On September 8, she held a press conference sporting red lipstick, a blond bob, winged eyeliner, and a string of pearls — in characteristically Marilyn fashion — and called for the home to be saved. Park said she had received hundreds of messages from people around the world denouncing the home’s slated destruction and described the house as “a crucial piece of Hollywood’s and the city of Los Angeles’s history, culture, and legacy.”
Later that day, the City Council voted to delay the demolition by naming the home a “historic-cultural monument.” The city’s Office of Historic Resources and Historic Cultural Commission will assess the property, and if it qualifies for landmark status, the decision to save the residence will return to the City Council for an affirming vote.
“Despite having lived there for only a short time before her tragic and untimely death, [Monroe] deeply valued this home,” Park said. “It was her own, and to her and to us, this home is more than just a brick and mortar building. It is a symbol of her journey and our identity as Angelinos.”
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