Marilyn Monroe’s home could be saved from demolition. The Hollywood legend purchased the Spanish-style hacienda built in 1929 on 5th Helena Drive in Los Angeles just six months before her tragic death in August 1962 at the age of 36. However, in September, a permit was approved for the demolition of the home.
Now, the Monroe Preservation Group is working to establish the historical significance of the house to the local area, as they discovered that architect Harbin Hunter had also lived there.
Jordan, a member of the group, told People, “I was going through old newspapers and ads because we knew there was a connection to the Hunter family. And [April and I] both discovered at the same time that Hunter was the co-architect of the first house in Hollywoodland. People believe this house should be preserved because Marilyn lived there for six months and died there.”
“But what we’re hoping to show is that this house has deep ties to the Los Angeles community. It’s actually a pristine example of the architectural styles popular in the 1920s. (Hunter) truly defined the style for that decade. So we want to demonstrate that this house holds much more significance than just the fact that someone passed away here.”
April further revealed that architect John DeLario, in collaboration with Hunter, had “planned the entire layout” of the neighborhood, and their most famous building, the Kanst Art Gallery, is still standing today.
She said, “They jointly planned the entire neighborhood, including the layout and housing styles. Their most famous building in the Hollywoodland development is the Kanst Art Gallery, which still stands today. When you examine it, you can see many elements that were also employed in the 5th Helena address.”
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