2 min read- The current owners of Marilyn Monroe’s final home are suing the city of Los Angeles over their right to renovate the property.
- The home in Brentwood was declared a historic site by the city in the summer of 2024, after the owners had filed and secured plans to demolish the property.
- The home remains one of the few traces of Monroe in the city, in addition to her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Helena Drive is a charming cul-de-sac in Los Angeles’s Brentwood neighborhood. It’s known for its quiet, sun-soaked streets that are lined with trees, granting residents an abundance of privacy. And, at the end of the drive, sits a Spanish colonial falling into disrepair.
Once home to the late Marilyn Monroe, 12305 Fifth Helena Drive was the only home the actress ever owned independently, and serves as one of the last standing testaments to her success. Originally built in 1929, the property spans over 2,600 square feet and was purchased by the starlet in February of 1962.
Speculated to have been priced at around $75,000 at the time, the home originally boasted two bedrooms and three bathrooms, all surrounded by an expansive half-acre garden. The lush shrubs provided cover from paparazzi and acted as a tranquil retreat from fame, rumors, and ruin that would later threaten her legacy. The most famous decor detail of the home actually lay in the entryway, a tile motif with the phrase “Cursum Perficio” (which means “Here ends my journey”) inscribed at the doorstep. Monroe lived there for nearly six months before passing away in August of the same year.
Including Monroe, the home has passed through at least fourteen owners, each in awe of the red tile roof, the backyard citrus grove, canyon views, and hacienda-style architecture. But, according to the current homeowners, beyond the green gates, the property has lost its air of glamour and grandeur, and now they're suing the city of Los Angeles for blocking previously approved plans to demolish the home. Despite renovations and remodeling done by over a dozen owners succeeding Monroe, the Brentwood house was officially declared a historical monument in June 2024.
The owners are fighting the city, asking either for the right to demolish the home, which they bought in 2023 for over $8 million, according to Zillow, or for compensation from the city for the property. The case is ongoing and has yet to reach a ruling, but one thing is for sure: regardless of how the court rules, much like her name on the infamous Walk of Fame, Monroe’s memory will forever be etched in Hollywood’s history.
