Marilyn Monroe had many things in her life. Even different lives. In the 36 years of her existence, she was married three times, appeared in thirty films, was photographed thousands of times, gave hundreds of interviews, attended numerous parties and premieres and became one of the brightest stars in the Hollywood firmament. . However, he only had one house. A single-family home that he bought when he was already 35 years old and an unparalleled global star. A place that she looked for and chose herself, that she loved, that she began to decorate herself, even though after her death everything was still half finished right there. A historic place still visited by fans six decades after his death and now in the process of disappearing. The new owners intend to demolish it.
At 12305 Fifth Helena Drive is Monroe’s house, a relatively small building by Los Angeles standards, about 270 square meters. It is a classic, simple house, far from the style of the villas of today’s stars. It is located in the Brentwood district, south of the city, close to the mountains but not far from the Pacific beaches. It was built in 1929 and is in the colonial or Spanish style as it is called in California, that is, low white houses walls with terraces and terracotta floors. It was the property the actress purchased in early 1962 after living in the Hollywood hills with Joe DiMaggio and in the popular, celebrity-coveted area of Runyon Canyon with Arthur Miller. But this was her first and only house, with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, beamed ceilings, a pool she had apparently never bathed in, bougainvillea and a small orchard of citrus trees, and in whose master bedroom she was found. died of an overdose on August 4 of the same year.
More information
The Niagara and Crazy Rock actress bought the property for around $77,500, which with inflation would be almost $760,000 today, and moved into it in early 1962. The couple founded Gilbert in March 1963 and Betty J. Nunez purchased it and many of the possessions therein for $87,500, $10,000 more than a year earlier, and auctioned many of these items in the late 1990s. After several passes through different hands, the property was sold in 2017 for between seven and eight million dollars. It was purchased by its last owners, an investment fund owner named Dan Lukas and his wife Anne Jarmain, who have lived there for years and have carried out renovations, particularly in the kitchen and bathrooms. .
Aerial view of Marilyn Monroe’s former home in Brentwood, California. Mel Bouzad (Getty Images)
From then on the versions differ. According to the local newspaper Los Angeles Times, the Lukas-Jarmains are still the owners and the ones considering demolition, although they are not answering questions from the press. According to luxury and real estate media Robb Report, the couple bought another home in the same area of Brentwood just six months ago for $13 million (12.2 million euros) and sold the home last month for around $8.4 million (7.85 million euros) to new owners who want to get rid of it, throw it away and build something bigger and more modern.
In any case, the owners have applied to the city administration for a demolition permit. In principle they wouldn’t have to deny it, it would be a simple procedure. Since the mid-1960s, Los Angeles has had a building and landmark preservation program that brings together more than 1,200 historic places across its 35 community areas, whether because important events took place there, because they are architectural, or because they are important . They range from churches, libraries and hotels to houses of famous architects, from fire stations to cemeteries and film studios (such as those of Charles Chaplin), and their qualification implies complete protection. Half a hundred of them are in the Brentwood area, but Monroe’s house isn’t on the list.
The actress’ home was never listed as a protected building, but in 2013 the city conducted an assessment that found it was “potentially significant due to its association with Marilyn Monroe,” but it was necessary. more research on this topic.” EL PAÍS has contacted the Los Angeles Department of Citizen Planning and confirmed that they will review the situation.
Police officers inspect Marilyn Monroe’s home after the actress’s death in August 1962.Bettmann Archive
A local association, the Brentwood Homeowners Association, founded by local volunteers in 1946, guards the neighborhood’s heritage and has filed a grievance lest the property be lost and disappear like so many other homes in the city’s golden Hollywood devoured. One of their members spoke to the Los Angeles Times and explained that they will try to save the village: “I was waiting for a white knight to come and save it, but the truth is that I don’t see many options. “It’s quite sad because it’s one of the most famous houses in the world.” It is recognized that the powers of the association are very limited when it comes to encroaching on private property, the owners of which have the right to alter that However, they will proceed to the end taking into account the exceptional circumstances of the property. “We’re complaining about someone not obeying the felling laws, building more than they’re allowed to do, things like that… but when you have an approved permit and you’re building exactly what you’re allowed to do with no exceptions… . there’s not much to fight for.
Brentwood is a quiet area, although there are always a handful of tourists hanging around Monroe’s house, although it doesn’t look complete from the outside. It was a place that she valued and that she chose for her own purposes. In fact, a few weeks before her death, she gave a lengthy interview to Life magazine, in which, even though the boxes were half unpacked, she talked about the illusion of ownership (“And it has walls!” she said happily) and about crafts he bought on a trip to Mexico to decorate them and why he didn’t want to include them in the report’s photos. “I don’t want everyone to see exactly where I live, what my couch is or what my fireplace looks like,” he said. Next to the main house was a small building, an apartment, which I had already planned to use: “A place for all my friends who have any problem, you know, and maybe they want to live here where no one will bother them until.” everything returns.” To be good for them.” This small house no longer exists, in a recent renovation it was attached to the main house to enlarge it. What apparently still stands is the Latin inscription that can be read on the tiles of the veranda: “Cursum Perficio”: My journey ends here.