Marilyn Monroe's Brentwood Home, Where She Lived And Died, To Face Demolition; Preservationists Contest

Last Updated:August 28, 2025, 08:57 IST

Marilyn Monroe’s Brentwood home may be demolished as its owners challenge its historic status in court, despite efforts to preserve it.

Marilyn Monroe's Brentwood Home Faces Demolition

Marilyn Monroe’s Los Angeles home where she died would be demolished. The current owners of the house have appealed before the court to overturn its designation as a historic landmark. If the decision is in their favour, they can go ahead with demolition.

Marilyn Monroe’s Brentwood home was declared as a Historic-Cultural Monument in 2024.

The current owners of house have now recived the demolition permit. However, they can only proceed with it after the landmark status is removed.

Brinah Milstein, the daughter of a prominent Cleveland real estate developer, and Roy Bank, a reality TV producer, paid $8.35 million in 2023 for the property. They now plan to combine the site with an adjacent lot, their residence since 2016.

Preservationists Contest

Soon after the demolition permit, preservationists contested to bar it from destruction. They persuaded the city of Los Angeles to designate the house as a historic-cultural monument.

Milstein and Roy’s attorney, Peter Sheridan, contradicted to the preservationists’ claims and said their clients want to “improve property."

Sheridan was quoted by Bloomberg as saying, “LA has thousands of celebrities who live and die here. Is every house that those good folks lived in a ‘historic monument’? Not in the least."

Current Owners Dismiss Historical Value

The current owners, in their lawsuit, mentioned that their is no evidence of Marilyn Monroe spent even a day at the house.

“There is not a single piece of the house that includes any physical evidence that Ms. Monroe ever spent a day at the house, not a piece of furniture, not a paint chip, not a carpet, nothing," according to the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

As per the report, Monroe paid $75,000 for the home six months before her death. This was the first residence she bought on her own.

In 2024, Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to preserve Marilyn Monroe’s Brentwood home. The step was taken to save the home from destruction.

Back then too, the owners sued the city over the matter in May, claiming “abuse of power."

Heather Goers, a preservationist who prepared a report for the city Cultural Heritage Commission, said an inscription in tile near the home’s front door threshold reads Cursum Perficio, Latin for “The Journey Ends Here." It likely predates Monroe’s purchase.

Location :

Los Angeles, United States of America (USA)

First Published:

August 28, 2025, 08:57 IST

News world Marilyn Monroe's Brentwood Home, Where She Lived And Died, To Face Demolition; Preservationists Contest

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