Fate of Marilyn Monroe’s LA home up in the air as fires devastate neighborhood

THE battle to save the house where Marilyn Monroe was found dead has hit a roadblock after the devastating fires in Los Angeles.

The fate of the house in Brentwood has been a topic of heated debate since July 2023, when it was sold for $8.35 million.

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Monroe lived in the home for six months before she died by suicide inside the house on August 4, 1962.

The one-story, Spanish-style abode switched hands 14 times in the 60 years following her death and it was remodeled multiple times.

The latest owners, real estate heiress Brinah Milstein and her TV producer husband Roy Bank, took over after buying it in July 2023.

They live next door and want to tear down Monroe’s old house.

They got a demolition permit after buying it but saw their plans derailed when the city designated the home a historic cultural monument in 2024.

The owners fired back by filing a petition with Los Angeles Superior Court in May 2024.

Milstein and Bank alleged in the filing that the city violated the law when it handed out the historical recognition.

Another twist in the case came this week when the judge was forced to postpone a nonjury trial over the issue for three months.

It’s been moved from March 13 to June 17 due to scheduling conflicts with the couple’s attorneys.

Their lead attorney, Peter C. Sheridan, lost his Pacific Palisades home in the wildfires, Los Angeles Daily News reported.

Their other attorney also lives in Pacific Palisades – where destroyed at least 12,000 homes.

The couple said they’re under threat of evacuation as the region is still dealing with an extreme fire risk with new blazes breaking out weekly.

Milstein and Ban have accused the city of “illegal and unconstitutional conduct” over the house, which they noted Monroe lived in for just six months before her death.

The couple argues the property was never deemed historic or culturally significant during six decades of ownership changes and renovations.

They also pointed out the city issued permits for numerous remodels without objection.

FAN OUTRAGE

Monroe, 36 years old when she died, would have been 98 on January 23.

Fans argue the home is a priceless part of Hollywood’s legacy that’s forever tied to Monroe’s story.

She purchased the property for $75,000 in 1962, just months before her death.

As the last home Monroe ever lived in, some argue that it remains a poignant symbol of her life and career.

However, in addition to Milstein and Bank, several local groups opposed the historical designation of the Brentwood home.

These include the Brentwood Community Council, multiple homeowners associations, and the Mandeville Canyon Association.

“The city ignored all these communicated resolutions of opposition in furtherance of its singular efforts to illegally designate the property,” the Bank-Milstein court papers stated.

“And, in so doing, irreparably and knowingly harm petitioners and plaintiffs.”

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Battle over Marilyn Monroe’s home

Hollywood’s most notable sex icon Marilyn Monroe was found dead on August 4, 1962, at her Brentwood home.

Marilyn Monroe bought a Mediterranean-style home in Brentwood, Los Angeles for $75,000 in 1962 after her divorce from ex-husband Arthur Miller.

She died in the same house merely after six months due to an apparent overdose.

Her Brentwood home was the last residence she ever occupied.

Since Monroe’s departure, her residence has been the center of controversy.

Monroe’s residence in currently owned by real estate heiress Brinah Milstein and her husband, TV producer Roy Bank.

Milstein and Bank bought Monroe’s home for $8.35 million in July 2023.

In September 2023, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a motion to evaluate the property for historic-cultural monument designation, putting the homeowners’ demolition plans on hold.

In May 2024, Milstein and Bank filed a complaint against the LA city arguing that they have the right to demolish the structure.

In the complaint, the couple alleged that the city is violating the law by giving the home historical recognition.

The lawsuit also alleged that a number of changes were made to the home in the six decades since Monroe died.

In January 2025, the trial over Marilyn Monroe’s former home was delayed by three months due to the Southern California wildfires.