LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles City Council passed a motion on Friday to consider the house where Marilyn Monroe lived and died in Brentwood, California, as a historic site, thus granting a temporary save from be torn down.
Councilwoman Traci Park introduced the motion, according to KTLA. Park recommended that the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission or the director of planning to review Monroe’s 2,900-square-foot house to see if can be listed as a historical site for the city.
“It is imperative that the City’s historic-cultural treasures be celebrated, and foremost, that its historical sites be preserved for future generations. As such, the historic-cultural merits of this property need to be assessed,” the motion reads, according to the news outlet.
Park was rushing against the clock to save Monroe’s house where she died after she learned that the owner, Glory of the Snow Trust, had tried to obtain a permit to tear the house down, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“Immediately my team and I sprung into action. ... But unfortunately, the Department of Building and Safety issued a demolition permit before my team and I could fully intervene and get this issue resolved,” Park said before the city council meeting Friday, according to the newspaper.
“I am here with you today as the custodian of the district which is home to Marilyn Monroe’s beloved final residence. I am also here today as a defender of our city’s rich history and heritage,” Park said.
The city council voted unanimously, according to the Times, and will be moving forward with considering that Monroe’s house is a historic site.
What is most important about what we achieved today is that this automatically and immediately triggers a temporary stay on all building permits while this matter is under consideration by the cultural heritage commission and the City Council,” Park told the newspaper after the meeting.
Park said that the demolition is on hold until the Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources can conduct a study and an analysis on Monroe’s house, according to CNN.
“We have not been contacted at all by the property owner,” Park told CNN. “Most certainly they were aware of who owned the home previously and who lived and died there.”
In July, the 2,900-square-foot house was sold from Glory of the Snow LLC to Glory of the Snow Trust for $8.35 million but at the time, according to the Times.
The house has four bedrooms and three bathrooms, according to KTLA. It is in the middle of a small quiet neighborhood cul-de-sac.
The house was built in 1929 and according to the Times, it was the only house Monroe owned by herself. She purchased it in the early 1960s for $75,000 after her marriage to Arthur Miller ended.