Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe moved to Brentwood, California in 1962, not knowing the now-famous property would be her “last home.”<\/p>\n
Marilyn\u00a0purchased\u00a0the secluded\u00a0Hacienda-style property in early 1962 for\u00a0$77,500, paying half in cash and obtaining a mortgage for the balance. That\u00a0may sound like a major bargain, but the transaction\u00a0would be valued at $765,015 in late 2023.<\/p>\n
Related:\u00a0‘Brady Bunch’ House Sells For $3.2M, More Than $2M Under Listing Price<\/span><\/p>\n Architectural Digest<\/em> profiled Marilyn’s last home in May 2017, reporting\u00a0on the house and Marilyn’s initial efforts to make it\u00a0her own:<\/p>\n “The 2,900-square-foot, one-story, L-shaped, Spanish colonial-style home had adobe walls and a red-tile roof and was protected by a high wall. It had two bedrooms, a small guesthouse, an oval swimming pool and a large garden. The interior had white stucco walls, white carpeting, cathedral beam ceilings and tiled fireplaces in both the living room and master bedroom. Monroe bought some essential furnishings on shopping trips to Tijuana and Mexico City: tiles for the kitchen, tin masks and mirrors for the walls, and textiles depicting Aztec figures. But the house was sparsely furnished, and her phonograph remained on the floor.”<\/p>\n In August 1962, Marilyn was found unresponsive at her Brentwood home, and an archival August 1962 New York Times<\/em> article extensively covered then-breaking news of her death. It described\u00a0the star as a “virtual recluse” at the time of her passing, adding that “[hardly]\u00a0any of her neighbors had seen her more than once or twice in the six months since she had moved into her two-bedroom bungalow, which is modest by Hollywood standards [in 1962].”<\/p>\n Related:\u00a0The House Where Aaron Carter Died Sells For Nearly $1 Million After Bathroom Remodel<\/span><\/p>\n Marilyn Monroe’s house was quickly enshrined as a huge part of Hollywood history, routinely drawing fans and tributes over the years. On September 5th, the New York Post<\/em> claimed Monroe’s home faced demolition, citing local planning board filings:<\/p>\n “The owner of this historic Brentwood abode, located at 12305 Fifth Helena Drive in the upscale Los Angeles neighborhood, has filed for demolition permits, The Post has learned.<\/p>\n “The one-story, Hacienda-style estate, nestled on 2,900 square feet at the end of a tranquil cul-de-sac adjacent to San Vicente Boulevard, recently changed hands for around $8.35 million, [property] records show.”<\/p>\n According to the\u00a0Post<\/em>, Marilyn’s house last changed hands in 2017. It\u00a0sold for\u00a0$7.25 million at the time, $350,000\u00a0more the listing price.<\/p>\n It didn’t take long for the tentative plans to demolish the property to unravel. On September 13th, the New York Times<\/em> reported that the\u00a0Los Angeles City Council had since “voted unanimously\u00a0… to begin a process that would designate the home as a historic and cultural monument, saving it from demolition.”<\/p>\n Related:\u00a0Tori Spelling Is Currently Living In A Trailer Park With Her Six Kids Amid Divorce<\/span><\/p>\n Councilwoman Traci Park introduced\u00a0a motion to protect Marilyn’s house, and said she only learned of the pending demolition via the Post<\/em>‘s article. The Times<\/em> continued:<\/p>\n “[The vote] immediately triggered a temporary stay on a demolition permit that the city\u2019s building department had approved just a day before. According to city records, on Sept. 7 the building department approved the demolition of the single-family home, attached garage, pool house and storage. Records also show plans to backfill the existing pool … The motion to protect the home was introduced by Councilwoman Traci Park, who represents the city\u2019s 11th district, which includes Brentwood.”<\/p>\n