Marilyn Monroe’s former house saved from demolition, listed as a historic and cultural monument

CNN
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The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to preserve Marilyn Monroe’s home in Brentwood, where the star lived and died, as a historical and cultural landmark, saving it from demolition.

The vote ends a nearly year-long saga and an effort to save the house from destruction.

Last summer, the city’s Department of Building and Safety issued a demolition permit for the house.

The City Council then unanimously approved Councilwoman Traci Park’s emergency motion to block the demolition and begin the process of designating the house as a historic building, CNN previously reported. Park represents the neighborhood where the house is located.

This week’s preservation vote was the final step in the designation process, the city’s planning department told CNN.

In a speech to the council before the vote Wednesday, Park urged his colleagues to preserve the historic Los Angeles landmark. She called the house, like Monroe’s, “iconic.”

“There is probably no woman in history or culture who captures the public imagination like Marilyn Monroe did. Even all these years later, her story still resonates and inspires many of us today ‘today,’ she said. “Losing this piece of history, the only home Marilyn Monroe ever owned, would be a devastating blow to historic preservation and to a city with less than 3 percent designation. historical are associated with the heritage of women.”

Park said she did not take the matter lightly and has been in communication with nearby residents about their concerns about traffic and safety.

She introduced another motion Wednesday to evaluate restrictions on tour buses on and around the street, she said.

“My team and I worked closely with the owners to evaluate the possibility of moving the house to a location where the public could actually visit and spend time,” she said. “I remain hopeful and committed to working with the owners to see if this can be done in the future, but today let’s preserve this essential part of Los Angeles history and culture.”

The Los Angeles Conservancy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the city’s historic sites, called Wednesday’s vote a “success.”

“This designation is proof that community advocacy WORKS,” the organization said in an Instagram post, thanking Park for her efforts.

The Brentwood bungalow was built in 1929 and is valued at about $8 million, according to land records. Monroe lived there just a few months before dying in 1962 at age 36, Park said. The pop culture icon died at home after a barbiturate overdose.