Marilyn Monroe’s iconic Brentwood home has avoided demolition once more, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Los Angeles City Council had stepped in last summer to protect the Spanish Colonial-style residence, granting it historic cultural monument status and halting the owners’ plans to tear it down.
Last week, an L.A. Superior Court judge upheld that designation, rejecting a legal challenge from the property’s current owners, Brinah Milstein and Roy Bank. The decision keeps the home intact—for now.
Milstein and Bank, who also own the house next door, bought Monroe’s former residence in 2023 for $8.35 million. They planned to demolish it to expand their estate, arguing in court that the structure has been so heavily remodeled over the years that it bears little resemblance to the home Monroe purchased in 1962, shortly before her death. With 14 previous owners and numerous renovation permits, they claimed that not a single original element from Monroe’s time remains—not even a scrap of paint.
Nevertheless, the house at 5th Helena Drive continues to hold cultural and emotional value for many historians, fans, and city officials. Monroe reportedly bought the property for $77,500—about $832,000 today—and the Latin phrase etched in tile at the entryway, Cursum Perficio (“The journey ends here”), has only deepened its mystique.
Although the recent court ruling prevents demolition for now, Milstein and Bank still have the option to appeal.