Marilyn Monroe’s last house saved from demolition (for now)

The 2,900-square-foot Brentwood home, which superstar Marilyn Monroe bought in the early 1960s, is modest by today’s standards, for several reasons: It’s the only property the actress owns independently. It’s where she was found dead of an overdose of sleeping pills at the age of 36. It is a building that was almost destroyed by a mysterious and unknown owner until the Los Angeles City Council intervened to stop it.

News that the owner of 12305 Fifth Helena Drive wanted to tear down the house spread quickly this week after the New York Post reported it was in the “early stages of demolition.” The four-bedroom, three-bathroom Spanish Colonial ranch, which Monroe bought for $75,000 at the end of her third marriage to playwright Arthur Miller, was appraised as a landmark in 2013, but that process has stalled, despite her — as a film producer And a neighbor Rodney Leeper Put it in the Los Angeles Times – “One of the most famous houses in the world.”

This famous home was sold in 2017 to an LLC called Glory of the Snow for $7.25 million; In July, it was sold to the Glory of the Snow Trust of the same name for $8.35 million, LAT reports. However, the actual humans behind the company names are unclear.

The LLC was managed by hedge fund manager Emerald Lake And Luke And his wife Ann Garmin. Trust calls someone called “Andrew Sahure“As her guardian, but that’s a title that doesn’t boast Google results or public records outside of that. (Gardeners, however, will note that ‘glory of snow’ is the common name for chionodoxa luciliae, a spring-blooming perennial known for its purple flowers. Do so As you can.)

It’s unclear if anyone currently lives in the house, or why the owners want to destroy it, but as news spread of the plan, neighbors and conservationists were quick to act. Los Angeles Councilwoman Spokesperson Tracy Park She says their office has received “hundreds of calls” asking her to intervene, Reuters reports. She has already intervened, submitting a motion to the council on Friday asking the city’s Cultural Heritage Commission (CHC) to consider including the house on the Los Angeles Historic Cultural Landmarks list. The proposal was approved unanimously, giving CHC 75 days to evaluate the home and approve it as a landmark.

In response, the Los Angeles Board of Building and Safety Commissioners temporarily halted any potential work at the site, saying in a letter to the owners that the initial demolition approval was “issued in error.”

“Under the Cultural Heritage Ordinance, this action immediately results in a temporary moratorium on all building permits while the matter is under consideration by the Cultural Heritage Commission and City Council,” KTLA reported the letter as follows. “Also, the property may not be demolished, altered or substantially removed, regardless of whether there is a permit or not.”

“This will be the first step in ensuring that we can protect this house from demolition,” Park told ABC 7. He added: “The overwhelming feelings here are clear. This house should be preserved as an important part of the history, culture and heritage of Hollywood and the city of Los Angeles.