HOME > AFP-JIJI PRESS NEWS JOURNAL > Article
Some like it not-- LA bars demolition of Marilyn Monroe home
The Los Angeles home where Marilyn Monroe died was declared a historic landmark on Wednesday, thwarting plans by its current owners to demolish the property.
The house was home to the Some Like It Hot screen siren for the final six months of her life up to her death from a drug overdose in 1962.
More than half a century on, Monroe remains one of the most beloved figures in US pop culture, and fans as well as conservationists have closely followed a row over the future of the home.
Property heiress Brinah Milstein and her reality TV producer husband Roy Bank bought the Spanish Colonial-style home in the swanky Brentwood neighbourhood last summer for $8.35 million.
The couple owned the house next door and intended to combine the two properties. That construction would have involved razing the Monroe home.
But when a demolition permit was issued last September, a furore quickly followed, and local politicians moved quickly to designate the building protected status.
Last month, the owners sued the city of Los Angeles for illegal and unconstitutional conduct.
Their petition noted Monroe had occasionally lived in the home for a mere six months, and the couple claim that more than a dozen previous owners since 1962 have already changed the building beyond recognition.
Those objections were overruled Wednesday, as city councillors approved the designation of the house as a historic cultural monument.
Monroe bought the 3,000-square-foot single-story hacienda in 1962 just after her divorce from playwright Arthur Miller.
There is no other person or place in the city of Los Angeles as iconic as Marilyn Monroe and her Brentwood home, said councillor Traci Park, whose district includes the house in question.
Some of the most world-famous images ever taken of her were in that home, on those grounds and near her pool.
There is likely no woman in history or culture who captures the imagination of the public the way Marilyn Monroe did. Even all these years later, her story still resonates and inspires many of us today.
Monroe's smouldering looks and breathy delivery made her one of the most bankable movie stars of her era.
The Gentlemen Prefer Blondes star was linked during her lifetime with some of the most eligible men of her era, including president John F. Kennedy, famously singing Happy Birthday, Mr President at Madison Square Garden.
(2024/06/27 18:42)
Click Here for Japanese TranslationAFP-JIJI PRESS NEWS JOURNAL
- 06/28 20:44 Whistles at dawn-- birdsong duels enthral Afghans
- 06/28 20:40 Delhi airport roof collapses months after Modi inaugurates project
- 06/28 20:39 IOC invite 39 Russian, Belarus athletes to compete as neutrals at Olympics
- 06/28 18:54 Bogey men-- Trump and Biden snipe and snarl about golf
- 06/28 18:30 World champion Verstappen confirms staying at Red Bull
- 06/28 18:18 Murray not giving up on Wimbledon farewell after surgery
- 06/27 18:42 Some like it not-- LA bars demolition of Marilyn Monroe home
- 06/27 18:40 Australia swim queen Campbell retires after missing out on Paris
- 06/27 18:37 Denmark seeks to take the wind out of foreign flags
- 06/27 18:35 Morgan omitted from USA women's Olympics football squad
- 06/27 17:14 US jails Honduran ex-president for 45 years on drug charges
- 06/27 17:12 Tens of thousands collected for 'honest' Dutch homeless man
- 06/26 20:12 Ukrainians risk lives to flee draft via icy Romanian pass
- 06/26 20:10 S. Korea administrative robot defunct after apparent suicide
- 06/26 18:08 US warns Israel over Lebanon as UN sounds alarm on Gaza
- 06/26 18:06 Kenya's Ruto vows 'full' response after deadly anti-tax protests
- 06/26 16:51 Phelps, Schmitt call for WADA reform in US hearing
- 06/26 16:50 Russia to block dozens of EU media outlets in 'retaliatory' move
- 06/25 18:59 Egypt tomb find may shed light on ancient diseases-- ministry
- 06/25 18:58 Gaza officials say Israeli strike kills 10 relatives of Hamas chief
- 06/25 17:55 Probe highlights 'attack on press freedom' in Gaza war
- 06/25 17:45 Hungary's Varga set for surgery on 'multiple' facial fractures
- 06/25 17:01 Families of October 7 attack victims sue UNRWA over 'helping' Hamas
- 06/25 16:57 Infamous Bangladesh hangman dies after turning writer, TikTok star
- 06/24 20:13 EU says Apple's App Store breaches bloc's digital rules
- 06/24 18:27 Euro 2024 security bulked after pitch invaders aim for Ronaldo selfies
- 06/24 18:25 Israel PM says 'intense' phase of Gaza war nearing end
- 06/24 18:14 Deaths from Indian toxic alcohol rise to more than 50
- 06/24 18:08 Blue Jays outfielder Martinez suspended 80 games for drugs violation
- 06/24 18:04 Gaza health officials say 24 killed in Israeli strikes
- 06/21 18:10 Mines, unexploded ordnance a daily menace for Afghanistan's children
- 06/21 18:06 England wary of 'bold' former boss Jones in Japan Test
- 06/21 18:03 Chinese sailors wield knives, axe in disputed sea clash with Philippines
- 06/21 17:13 Steve Cooper named manager of Premier League Leicester City
- 06/21 17:12 Actor Donald Sutherland dead at age 88
- 06/21 17:11 Lakers agree to coaching deal with TV analyst Redick-- reports