Marilyn Monroe’s Former Home Temporarily Saved from Demolition After Permits Were Issued Last Week

The Hollywood icon only ever independently owned one home, where she lived and died at the age of 36 in 1962. That property, which is still standing in Los Angeles’ star-studded neighborhood of Brentwood, was facing the possibility of destruction after the Department of Building and Safety issued a demolition permit to its current owner, Glory of the Snow Trust on Tuesday, Sept. 5.

Now, according to The Los Angeles Times, an L.A. City Council meeting on Friday, Sept. 8 unanimously voted to temporarily suspend said permit.

Glory of the Snow LLC purchased the home in 2017 for $7.25 million in 2017, according to The Real Deal, before a trust of the same name bought it for $8.35 million in July 2023. After less than two months, however, they filed to tear it down.

After Friday’s meeting, the city sent the trust paperwork stating the city’s intentions to fully revoke the demolition permit. L.A.’s Office of Historic Resources is then going to perform various assessments over the next 75 days to decide if Monroe’s Spanish-style abode should be permanently protected, and eventually designated a historic site.

“... unfortunately, the Department of Building and Safety issued a demolition permit before my team and I could fully intervene and get this issue resolved,” Councilmember Traci Park told the Times. “This home must be preserved as a crucial piece of Hollywood’s and the city of Los Angeles’ history, culture and legacy.”

Monroe purchased the 2,624-square-foot hacienda for $77,500, shortly after parting ways with her ex-husband, playwright Arthur Miller, in February 1962.

In an interview with Life Magazine shortly before her death, Marilyn described the property—specifically an apartment attached to her garage—as "a place for any friends of mine who are in some kind of trouble.” The actress then mused, “maybe they'll want to live here where they won't be bothered till things are OK for them."

The reporter, who was given a tour, also complimented the property—to which Marilyn responded: "Good, anybody who likes my house, I'm sure I'll get along with."

Shortly after that home tour, the actress died at the house in August 1962. The blonde bombshell was discovered by her housekeeper, Eunice Murray, after she noticed Monroe's bedroom light was on in the early hours of the morning. A coroner's toxicology report officially listed her cause of death as acute barbiturate poisoning, as she reportedly ingested a lethal amount of Nembutal, which is often used to treat anxiety, and a sedative called chloral hydrate. Her death was ruled an overdose and "probable suicide."

The last day of Monroe's life is still shrouded in mystery. At the time, she was under the constant care of a doctor and psychiatrist, who had prescribed her numerous medications to treat mental health issues as well as her insomnia. The circumstances surrounding her passing have long fostered conspiracy theories that foul play was involved.