Couple’s Bid to Tear Down Historic Fifth Helena Drive House Denied
The Brentwood home where Marilyn Monroe spent her final months — and where she died in 1962 — will remain standing after a Los Angeles judge upheld the city’s decision to protect the property as a historic landmark.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant issued a brief written order Tuesday rejecting a legal challenge from the home’s current owners, producer Roy Bank and his wife, Brinah Milstein. The couple had asked the court to overturn the landmark designation so they could demolish the house and incorporate the land into their adjoining property.
The ruling leaves intact a Los Angeles City Council vote from June 2024 that officially granted the Fifth Helena Drive residence protected status. The decision followed intense public outcry after Milstein and Bank filed demolition plans last September. According to court filings from the City Attorney’s Office, city officials were “inundated” with calls and emails from residents demanding the home be preserved.
City Councilmember Traci Park spearheaded the effort to save the property, introducing the motion for historic designation amid growing opposition.
Monroe purchased the 2,900-square-foot Spanish-style house in February 1962 for $77,500 — roughly $832,000 in today’s dollars. She lived there for only six months before her death that August at age 36.
Bank and Milstein, who bought the home in July 2023 for $8.35 million, received a demolition permit soon after closing the sale. Their lawsuit argued the city’s actions violated their property rights.
With Tuesday’s ruling, the house will remain protected as an iconic piece of Los Angeles history and Monroe’s enduring legacy, though the couple could still appeal the decision and there continues to be talk that the home could be moved to facilitate the current owners’ wishes to expand their property without destroying the house.
