LA City Council saves Marilyn Monroe’s Brentwood home from demolition

Fans of Marilyn Monroe are breathing a sigh of relief after learning that the Hollywood icon’s former home on the Westside of Los Angeles, where she died of a drug overdose in 1962 at age 36, will not be demolished.

That decision came down to a 12-0 vote by the L.A. City Council on Wednesday, June 26, following months of uncertainty about the fate of Monroe’s final residence.

The Spanish Mission style house at 12305 Fifth Helena Drive in Brentwood is owned by real estate heiress Brinah Milstein and her husband, producer Roy Bank. The couple, which also owns the house next door, purchased the Monroe house for $8.35 million and planned to demolish it to expand their property.

But last September, a day after the city issued the owners a demolition permit, the City Council passed a motion seeking to have the house declared a historic-cultural monument. That vote effectively prohibited demolition until the city decided whether to designate the home a historic-cultural landmark – a label that would save it from the wrecking ball.

The effort to preserve the 1920s-era home was led by City Councilmember Traci Park, who represents the Westside including Brentwood. Her office received hundreds of calls from people pleading that the city save the home from demolition, she said last fall.

On Wednesday, Park said that no other person or place in L.A. is as iconic as Monroe or her Brentwood home.

“To lose this piece of history – the only home that Marilyn 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 councilmember said.

George Mihlsten, a prominent attorney representing the property owners, was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.

He previously told the city’s Cultural Heritage Commission – which voted unanimously in January to recommend saving the house – that the home had been empty and bare, and not worthy of being a monument.

Nearby neighbors and others who opposed designating the house as a historic-cultural landmark have also noted that the building sits on private property – not in the public right of way – and that granting it historic-cultural status would lead to increased tour bus traffic, which would disrupt the peace in the residential neighborhood.

To address nearby residents’ concerns, Park introduced a motion Wednesday to ask the city’s transportation department to evaluate restricting tour buses on parts of Helena Drive and surrounding streets. She also pledged to continue working with the community to address any future concerns.

The councilmember also noted that she and her staff have discussed with the property owners the possibility of moving the house elsewhere so that the public can actually visit it, but no agreement had been reached yet.

Addressing the City Council before its vote, Park said, “I remain hopeful and committed to working with the property owners to see if this can be done in the future. But today, let’s preserve this essential piece of L.A.’s history and culture.”

City News Service contributed reporting.

Related Articles

Voters will decide whether to give LAPD chief the right to fire officers

LA City Council calls for probe into alleged homeless dumping by Burbank police

LA City Council OKs plan to save beloved El Burro on Olvera Street

Councilman Kevin de León introduces motion for Pershing Square name change

LA Councilmember Tim McOsker elected chair of Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority