Local News

Marilyn Monroe's Brentwood home to become historic cultural monument

June 12, 2024 / 12:04 PM PDT / KCAL News

Monroe's home to be name an LA landmark

The Los Angeles City Council is expected to designate Marilyn Monroe's former home in Brentwood as an historic cultural monument.

The move will cap off months of work to preserve the property, located at 12305 5th Helena Drive, after the property owners had sought to demolish it in September 2024 to expand their current home.

The couple bought the residence last July for $8.35 million and obtained a demolition permit from the city.

An aerial view of Marilyn Monroe's final home in the Brentwood neighborhood on September 14, 2023 in Brentwood, California. The Spanish Colonial-style hacienda, where Monroe died in her bedroom of a drug overdose at age 36, is likely to be saved from demolition after the L.A. City Council voted unanimously to start a process designating the house as a historic monument. Getty Images

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park, who represents the district where the property is located, had introduced a motion calling for the designation and action to pause the issuance of demolition permits.

The application to designate the home as a historic cultural monument received approval in January 2024 from the Cultural Heritage Commission and later from the council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee.

The property owners sued the city and sought an injunctive relief, however, on June 4 a judge tentatively denied their attempt.

Attorneys for the property owners previously filed court papers with the Los Angeles Superior Court, stating that the city is violating the law by trying to give the home historical recognition.

According to the Milstein-Bank court papers, the couple will not be adequately compensated without a preliminary injunction. The petition sought a court order blocking the monument designation and allowing the plaintiffs to move forward with their planned razing so they can demolish the Monroe structure to expand their current home, which is adjacent to the property.

The judge issued a tentative ruling in favor of the city, calling the Milstein-Bank motion an "ill-disguised motion to win so that they can demolish the home and eliminate the historic cultural monument issue."

The couple will not suffer the irreparable harm by being denied a preliminary injunction because the City Council will address the issues by the middle of this month, according to Chalfant.

American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926 - 1962) poses outside her home during a photo call, California, USA, 1956. Antonia Hille / Getty Images

Bank and Milstein filed the petition May 6, alleging "illegal and unconstitutional conduct" by the city "with respect to the house where Marilyn Monroe occasionally lived for a mere six months before she tragically committed suicide 61 years ago."

Amy Maetzold

Amy Maetzold is a digital producer at CBS Los Angeles. She started her journalism career in Wisconsin where she was a producer at NBC15 and Spectrum News 1. Before coming to KCAL, Amy covered news in Santa Barbara at KEYT, winning a group Emmy Award for team coverage on the Alisal Fire.