The Los Angeles City Council, Friday, September 8, 2023, voted to launch the process of designating the former home of actress Marilyn Monroe, where she died of a drug overdose in 1962, as a historical and cultural monument, thereby blocking plans to demolish the property. Motion to begin consideration of Spanish Colonial style homes in L.A.’s Brentwood section. for historic preservation was introduce by Councilwoman Traci Park and approved unanimously the same day, according to spokesperson Jamie Paige.
In response to the 12-0 vote, the city’s Board of Building and Safety Commissioners immediately revoke the demolition permit that had been issue the day before.
The City Council’s own motion also prohibits major changes to the property while a review of its potential status as a landmark is underway.
Monroe bought the one-story
270-square-foot home in the early 1960s for $75,000 after the end of her third marriage, to playwright Arthur Miller, according to the Los Angeles Times. It was the only residence the actress, who spent part of her childhood in foster homes and orphanages, had ever independently owned.
The screen legend, star of film such as “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”
“Some Like It Hot” and “The Misfits” found dead in the bedroom of his home in August 1962 at the age of 36.
The cause of death was state to be acute barbiturate poisoning. The Times reporte that the halfacre property, including a swimming pool and guest house, was purchase in 2017 for $7.25 million by Glory of the Snow LLC, which was then managed by a hedge fund executive.
The propert was sold to the Glory of the Snow Trust for $8.35 million earlier this year.
No representatives from the trust were identifie by Park Board Members
and the reasons for the demolition plans remain unclear, Paige said. The Times said the trust is not listen in property records next to anyone’s name. News that the four-bedroom, gate hacienda at the end of a culdesac was slate for demolition in the city sparke expressions of outrage on social media, the Times report. Park, whose council district includes Brentwood, said his office has received hundreds of phone calls urging him to take action to save the home. “To people all over the world, Marilyn Monroe was more than just a film icon,” Park said at a news conference, calling Monroe “a shining example of what it means to overcome adversity.” The actress named her home Cursum Perficio, a Latin phrase meaning “My journey ends here,” which adorns the tiles on the home’s front porch.
