After a nine-month legal battle, Marilyn’s final home at Fifth Helena Drive in Brentwood, Los Angeles has been officially declared as a cultural-historical monument, as Reuters reports.
“The Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to designate actress Marilyn Monroe’s former home as a historical landmark on Wednesday, preventing the house where the Hollywood legend died from demolition.
The decision comes after a months-long battle between the council and the owners of the home in the upscale Brentwood neighbourhood. Next-door couple Roy Bank and Brinah Milstein bought the property in July 2023 for $8.35 million with plans to demolish the house to expand their estate, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The couple obtained a demolition permit soon after, but Councilmember Traci Park last year introduced a motion to protect the home by granting it landmark status, receiving approval from the Cultural Heritage Commission and the Planning and Land Use Management Committee, the LA Times said.
‘There’s no other person or place in the city of Los Angeles as iconic as Marilyn Monroe and her Brentwood home,’ Park said before Wednesday’s council vote. ‘To lose this piece of history, the only home that Monroe ever owned, would be a devastating blow for historic preservation.’
Bank and Milstein sued the city in May for acting unconstitutionally in order to preserve the house, according to the LA Times. A judge denied their injunction request to stop the historical designation, and a trial-setting conference for the pending lawsuit is set for Aug. 13, according to the New York Times.”
This is a major victory for Monroe fans and local preservationists. Long before Marilyn lived there, the hacienda-style dwelling was designed by a prominent local architect, Harbin Hunter, as his family home.
However, questions remain over the property’s condition, as TMZ reports.
“We’re told Brinah and Roy feel violated by the ruling and don’t want to be forced to sell it … especially because the property was meant to be an expansion of their family home, which sits right next door. Not only that, we’re told the house — which the pair bought for $8.35 million last year — is in a state of total disrepair, which is why they don’t reside there.
Our sources say there are major roof issues causing leaks inside the house, but Brinah and Roy have no plans to fix any of that now … as the new designation makes it very complicated to do anything to the house. Essentially, if they can’t demolish the home, the property’s useless to them — and that’s why they’re continuing with a lawsuit fighting the historic designation. We’re told the couple’s faced threats over their lawsuit, and they constantly have to explain to fans the home isn’t a public place … and probably never will be.
The Marilyn Remembered Fan Club certainly feels differently, as a spokesperson tells TMZ … the club fully supports the designation, because Marilyn’s impact on the film industry is worth commemorating. Their bottom line is … protecting the home is protecting Marilyn’s legacy, so they’re not backing down — but neither are the homeowners.”
And as the Los Angeles Daily News reports, the campaign to save Marilyn’s home has also faced opposition within the residential community.
“Brentwood Homeowners Association, Brentwood Park Property Owners Association and Mandeville Canyon Association wrote to city officials opposing the historic designation. They cited safety and disruptions from tourists flocking in, although the home is behind a privacy gate and can’t be seen from the street.
Earlier this year, Brentwood resident Gary Hampar raised concerns in written comments, saying, ‘The neighbourhood is up in arms about this and strongly opposes this nomination be designated as a Historic Cultural Monument. It will merely generate tour bus activity and looky-loos who will want to tour a site where an unfortunate and sordid event occurred’ — referencing Monroe’s fatal drug overdose.
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.”
In February, Authentic Brands Group (ABG) – the licensing company which purchased Marilyn’s estate in 2011 – proposed that the property be relocated to a non-residential site and converted to a tourist attraction. While it may yet prove an acceptable compromise, this will be a complex process – and historic integrity must be prioritised over commercial exploitation for a fitting tribute to Marilyn’s legacy.
The Marilyn Report 