The current owners of Marilyn Monroe’s former Los Angeles home, Brinah Milstein and Roy Bank, are suing the city for the right to demolish the property, which they purchased for $8.35 million last summer. They had planned to tear the house down to extend their own residence, but the city stopped their demolition plans after they were granted a permit. The city council has halted the demolition process and is considering designating the home as a cultural monument landmark, a decision that must be finalized by mid-June.
Milstein and Bank are pushing back against the landmark designation process, accusing the city of illegal and unconstitutional conduct. They argue that Monroe’s connection to the house has been exaggerated, stating that she lived there for only six months before her death. The couple claims the house does not meet the city’s landmark criteria and that the city has taken no action on its historical or cultural status in the 60 years since Monroe owned it.
Despite the opposition from the current owners, the Cultural Heritage Commission and the city council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee have approved the landmark application. The full city council still needs to give final approval before the designation becomes official. Milstein and Bank are seeking a court order to block the landmark designation process, claiming that the city’s actions are based on preserving a house that does not meet the criteria for a historic cultural monument.
Monroe purchased the Brentwood residence for $75,000 in 1962, and it is the house where she died. The current owners, Milstein and Bank, live next door and had planned to demolish the property to expand their own house. City leaders intervened and temporarily halted the demolition process, leading to the ongoing legal battle over the fate of the iconic home. The lawsuit filed by the owners accuses the city of using “backdoor machinations” to save the house and argues that it should not be designated as a cultural landmark.
The legal battle over the demolition of Marilyn Monroe’s former home has attracted media attention due to the iconic status of the property and the star’s connection to it. The current owners are challenging the city’s decision to designate the home as a cultural monument landmark, claiming that it does not meet the necessary criteria. The fate of the Brentwood residence remains uncertain as the owners continue their legal fight to demolish the property, while city officials work to preserve it as a piece of cultural history.
