The Brentwood house where Marilyn Monore died in 1962 was saved from the wrecking ball on Friday after the L.A. City Council voted unanimously to revoke the home’s demolition order.
“We have done it! The fans spoke up and demanded action, and it worked,” the Marilyn Monroe Collective wrote in an Instagram post. “[L.A. City Council member Traci Park] requested and received approval of a notice to stop construction and a notice of intent to revoke the building permit for the demolition of Marilyn Monroe’s home.
“Yay!!! The journey does NOT end here,” the post concluded.
Councilmember Park shared a photo of herself in black dress and pearls with a Marilyn-esque hairdo, triumphantly holding up the notice to stop construction, to Facebook with the caption, “WE DID IT!” She submitted a request to the Council on Friday for the property to be deemed a historic cultural monument.
Park told the council in her address, “The global concern and response that has flooded my office over the last 48 hours confirms how crucial it is that we protect and preserve this critical piece of Los Angeles history and culture.”
She continued, “In spite of great odds, Marilyn Monroe made the Brentwood bungalow at issue today her home. It was the only home she ever owned, and it’s the home where she tragically died 61 years ago. To us, this residence is more than just a brick-and-mortar structure. It is a symbol of her journey.”
She concluded that the screen icon’s story “continues to inspire future generations around the world.”
Park announced her plans to put the motion forward in a Friday morning press conference.
Among the Angelenos who argued in favor of saving the Brentwood home was Michelle Walker, who spoke during the L.A. City Council’s public comment. “You know what, when they don’t care about a beautiful white woman, Black women are in trouble,” Walker said. “So please save Marilyn Monroe’s home.”
Walked added that if the house of late Playboy founder Hugh Hefner is “still out there,” Monroe’s should also be allowed to stand. “Women matter, her house matters. This matters to all women. This matters to everybody. This is historic.”
