Marilyn Monroe's last home escapes demolition again

For the second time in two years, Marilyn Monroe’s Brentwood home has been saved from destruction.

- JACK FLEMMING

OWNERS of the home Marilyn Monroe inhabited in 1962 want to demolish it.

Last summer, the Spanish Colonial-style hacienda was saved by the L.A. City Council, which voted unanimously to designate the house as a historic cultural monument, halting its impending demolition. This time around, it was rescued by an L.A. County Superior Court judge, who rejected a legal challenge from the homeowners claiming the city's landmark designation violated their right to raze the residence.

Judge James C. Chalfant upheld the City Council's decision — and the home's monument status — in a brief filed Sept. 2.

It could be the final chapter to a years-long saga with plenty of Hollywood twists and turns. On one side are the homeowners, Brinah Milstein and Roy Bank, who are fighting for the right to tear down the property. On the other are legions of historians, Angelenos and Monroe fans, who say the 1920s haunt, where the actor died in 1962, is an indelible piece of celebrity history.