Couple’s Plans for Marilyn Monroe’s Former Home Hit a Snag
A Los Angeles couple, Roy Bank and Brina Milstein, who purchased the house where Marilyn Monroe passed away, has encountered another hurdle in their quest to demolish the property and build a new one.
This setback was delivered by a federal judge in California on Wednesday, who dismissed their lawsuit against the city. That lawsuit stemmed from the city’s designation of the home, which Monroe owned for just six months, as a “historical and cultural monument,” thus preventing its demolition.
The couple had originally filed their lawsuit in January after discovering that the city had applied this historical designation. It’s interesting, really, because they had already spent over $30,000 obtaining the necessary permits to knock the house down and begin new construction.
In what they claim was an unexpected turn, the city granted the infamous house—built in 1929 and styled as a Spanish Bungalow—monument status in 2024, shortly after they bought it for over $8 million.
Bank and Milstein argued that the city’s actions amounted to “unconstitutional expropriation” of their property, emphasizing that there’s little to identify the house as belonging to Monroe. They mentioned in their complaint that the house has undergone extensive renovations by various owners over the years and now lacks any significant markers of its past occupant.
It’s located in Brentwood, at the end of a quiet street, surrounded by other multimillion-dollar homes. The area has become something of a tourist hotspot due to its history.
Additionally, the couple noted concerns regarding security, having faced break-ins from people looking for Monroe artifacts since they bought the house.
Monroe acquired the home in February 1962, just after her marriage to playwright Arthur Miller ended. Sadly, she was found dead there in August 1962, a victim of “acute barbiturate poisoning,” with the coroner determining it as an overdose, likely a suicide.
The couple’s attorney shared with People magazine that this legal battle is not yet over, expressing some surprise at the court’s ruling but also indicating that they are strategizing next steps in their ongoing struggle.
