On August 5, 1962, the world said goodbye to the major sex symbol and ultimate icon of the 1950s and early 1960s, Marilyn Monroe.
Her life ended too soon, but her legacy as one of the most famous Hollywood stars of all times lives on. Monroe spent her last Saturday on August 4th, at her newly bought home in Brentwood, a high-end neighborhood in the Westside of LA.
In the house, she was accompanied by her housekeeper Eunice Murray, the photographer Lawrence Schiller, the publicist Patricia Newcomb, and at various instances, her psychiatrist Dr. Ralph Greenson.
Upon Dr. Greenson’s request, the housekeeper was up overnight to keep company to Monroe. However, things went wrong sometime around 3 AM when Murray noticed that Monroe had herself locked in the bedroom, not answering the door.
By the time Dr. Greenson had been quickly alarmed and broke into the room, the great actress was already dead. Since the loss of this major icon of the American culture and cinematography, the ownership of the Brentwood house has rotated to several different persons.
In the 1970’s, Monroe’s home went into the hands of the, then married, actors Michael Irving and Veronica Hamel. While the couple was remodeling the house, allegedly, they discovered and removed a highly-advanced eavesdropping and telephone tapping system.
The equipment was spread into each room of the estate. The surprising discovery fueled a plethora of conspiracy theories about Monroe that had already been speculated. Supposedly, the actress had a short, controversial meeting with John F. Kennedy the same year she died.
Many people shared a belief that she was under surveillance by the Kennedy family and possibly by the mafia, too.
Marilyn Monroe’s final home hits the market for $6.9 mil https://t.co/c3rpv1Ve0E
— Megan Johnson (@megansarahj) April 25, 2017
This April, Monroe’s name is again present in the news headlines as her Brentwood home skyrocketed its price on the market. The estate increased its worth for approximately some $1.8 million compared to the last price for which it was resold in 2012.
According to the listing agency, the luxurious estate where Monroe spent the last minutes of her life, is now offered at the price of $6.9 million. Regarded as a unique 1929 Hacienda, the property includes four bedrooms and three bathrooms.
The listing agency web page further describes the glamor of the estate: “Beautiful architectural details such as beamed ceilings, terracotta tile floors, casement windows as well as an expansive grassy yard, pool, and a citrus orchard. A remarkable property that is steeped in Hollywood glamor.” According to the listing agent, Lisa Optican, the Brentwood home, “is an absolute oasis in the heart of one of the best neighborhoods in Los Angeles.” A swimming pool and a guest house are also part of the land that occupies 2,624 sq ft in total.
Back in the day, Monroe had purchased the Brentwood house for a sum of $75,000. Until her death, the actress had only partially furnished the house. According to Life associate editor Richard Meryman, with whom Monroe had talked about her home shortly before her death, this was “the first home that was entirely her own.” Meryman had further shared that the actress also took a special trip to Mexico where “she had carefully searched in roadside stands and shops and even factories to find just the right things to put in it.”
Marilyn Monroe’s Brentwood home—the site of her untimely death—is back on the market. via @forbes https://t.co/Y8lNrgFlqh
— Fawn E. Combs (@SoldByFawn) April 26, 2017
Monroe worked on turning one large room into an apartment, which in her words was supposed to be “a place for any friends of mine who are in some kind of trouble, you know, and maybe they’ll want to live here where they won’t be bothered till things are OK for them.”
In 2010, Monroe’s Brentwood home was sold on the market for a sum of $3.86 million, and in November it was resold, striking a deal of $5.1 million. The residence still maintains numerous original designs and architectural details, such as its thick white concrete walls, the Gothic arch doorways, and the casement windows. Whoever becomes the new owner of this elite house, will also make neighbors with Ewan McGregor, James Belushi, and Naomi Watts.