Group sues over demolition of Marilyn Monroe’s one-time home
The city of Los Angeles trampled state and local laws when it approved demolition of a home where Marilyn Monroe briefly lived to make way for a condominium project, a lawsuit charges.
A residents’ group is seeking to roll back the City Council’s approval for the five-unit project in the San Fernando Valley. It filed the lawsuit last week.
The house where the actress lived for one year was torn down days before a hearing on whether to consider making it a historic monument.
City staffers didn’t recommend considering the house as a monument since Monroe didn’t break into the film industry until years later. The demolition permit was obtained before the monument application was filed, city officials said.
Monroe “only resided at the property for one year and did not live in the unit during the productive period of her career,” a report by city planning officials concluded.
The residents’ group, called Save Valley Village, countered that the home captured the essence of Monroe’s life at a critical stage.
“While Norma Jean was born at County Hospital in Lincoln Heights, Marilyn Monroe’s career was born while living in this house,” the lawsuit states.
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