Marilyn Monroe's home has been saved from destruction, formally reversing a permit obtained by the current owners of 12305 West 5th Helena Drive in Brentwood, Calif., to have the home demolished.
Monroe, star of films such as "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," (1953), "The Seven Year Itch," (1955) and "Some Like It Hot" (1959), was living at the Los Angeles home at the time of her death by barbiturate overdose in 1962. She had purchased it that same year for $75,000.
The L.A. City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to designate the home as a historic cultural monument. Shortly after owners Glory of the Snow Trust were issued the permit in September, the council temporarily suspended the demolition. “We have an opportunity to do something today that should’ve been done 60 years ago," said Councilwoman Traci Park in a speech made ahead of the vote, per the Los Angeles Times. "There’s no other person or place in the city of Los Angeles as iconic as Marilyn Monroe and her Brentwood home.
“To lose this piece of history, the only home that Monroe ever owned, would be a devastating blow for historic preservation and for a city where less than 3% of historic designations are associated with women’s heritage,” she added.
