Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her Brentwood bedroom in 1962 at the age of 36 (hard to believe she’d be in her ’80s today!). This photo was taken by Allan Grant in her living room shortly before she died. Because it was the last house she lived in, there has always been a lot of fascination with it.
Grainy old photos were all that most of us had ever seen of the interior, so it’s big news that it’s on the market again. I wasn’t planning to post anything today–I’m packing up and flying out of here on vacation in 2 hours–but I couldn’t leave town without showing you this first!
The Spanish Revival home was built in 1929. Marilyn bought it in 1962 for $90,000. The current owners are asking $3.6 million. Here’s how the living room looked when she lived there (via LA Times):
Looks like they eliminated the dark paneling and removed the wall-to-wall carpeting to reveal the original tile underneath. The fireplace remains the same:
Here are some more old photos of how it looked after Marilyn died (via PopSugar):
The house doesn’t seem to have been altered much over the years, for which we can be thankful. It retains its unpretentious charm. Love the kitchen:
The house has 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, and about 2,600 square feet.
You can read more about the house on LA Curbed and the Daily Mail. For more information and the rest of the photos, check out the listing : David Offer, Prudential Realty.
Would you want to own a piece of Hollywood history? I love this house, but I’m not sure I could handle all the Marilyn Monroe fans that come with it!
Okay, everybody, I’m outta here. Don’t want the plane to leave without me. I’ll post from the hotel if I have a chance and show you where I landed! 
Visit my Celebrity Houses page to see more, like Christina Aguilera’s home in Beverly Hills (which used to belong to the Osbournes)!
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Beautiful house, love the beams in every part of the home and all the natural light.
This house is utterly charming!!
Safe trip and thanks for the post!!
Absolutely charming house! I don’t know if I could handle living in a house she died in, in the late hours that might be on my mind! Have a fabulous trip, I wonder where you are off to! Janell
Janell Beals´s last blog ..Hudson Chalkboard Paints In Fabulous Colors!
Thanks so much for taking the time to post about Marilyn’s house. I had always thought it was really small from how it looks on the front! I love the transformations and that kitchen looks like it’s 2,000 sq. ft.! Well, I’m stretching it, but it’s humongous!
Have a great vacation.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia
Shelia´s last blog ..Beachy Cabinet
I would love LOVE to own that house. What a beautiful piece of history and to me it is the epitome of california architecture. I adore that spanish bungalow style.
Have a fun vacation Julia. I’m excited to hear about where you are going. Try to squeeze in a few personal pics would ya;)
Becky @ Farmgirl Paints´s last blog ..Holiday hail
Absolutely charming house, so unpretentious. The little reading nook is calling my name and so is the pool area. I would move there in a second (now I just have to find $3.6 M and a job in California…..)
Robin´s last blog ..Me- Me- Meme
Thanks for the post. Have a GREAT vacation!
Vicki @ In The Sandbox Comic Strip´s last blog ..Bad Dreams!
The photograph of Marilyn Monroe is wonderful. I think it has to be one of the best I have seen of her. The glamorous pictures are great…but this photograph feels real. The house is charming and I can visualize her there in the kitchen. Anyway…great post …have a wonderful vacation!
CHERYL
Love the house. Horrible current furnishings.
LOVE this house and 3.6M seems reasonable for it’s history and the area. I agree with Kristen@Bouelvard; the current furnishings are really bad, except for maybe the bedroom. I like how minimal it is.
Have a great vacation!
oh…Wait a second! I didn’t see the rug under the bed in the last pic. Ugh! OK… All the furnishings a horrible!
OMG! I want it even more than the home with the tree house inside!
MissCaron´s last blog ..check this out
What a great house – I could spend a lot of time by that pool!
Kristen @ More Than Mulberries´s last blog ..Our Garden
This house is so homey and beautiful. I really love it and it was not at all what I expected when I read the post headline. It seems like a fantastic place to live. Thanks for posting it.
Lesley @ TheDesignFile´s last blog ..Design Star- Tom Vecchione on team design- huffing and puffing- and those dapper suits
What a beautiful house! Charming and unassuming…just like everything I’ve read about Marilyn’s personality, beneath all the glitz and glamor. Somehow it doesn’t really surprise me that she lived in this cute little house…rather than some of those GINORMOUS palaces we’ve seen on your blog that other movie stars lived in back in the Golden Age of Hollywood! I would totally live in that house! (Although, like you say, not sure if I could handle all those fans either…)
Kate (Little Beach Bum)´s last blog ..Sunday Night Sunset
strange I thought I would feel strange about looking at her house, because I’m such a big fan and still hate that she died. But I have to say it’s so peaceful, cheerful looking at it. So inviting, you just want to hang out. I can’t believe that its only 2600 sq ft it looks so much bigger.. Would love to get the floor plan.. Have fun on your trip,,,,and don’t worry we will be here when you get back for sure. Your fellow addicts who are just hooked!..
This is beautiful and charming house… but it reminds me the sad death of Marylin so I could never live in her house!
Kisses
Etta
Love it!!!
There are definite improvements made from when Marilyn was living there. It’s cozy, charming and beautiful.
Now if I could just find some spare change …
I have always loved the cozy feel of her home. It is the perfect size… California bungalow..love it and could move there in a minute. It reminds me a bit of the It’s Complicated house…. same feel architecturally.
diana´s last blog ..Maine Kitchen Phase 1
That is the definitive California bungalow in my mind’s eye. Love the light and airy look…but I also couldn’t handle the looky-loos (or the hefty price tag!)
Have a wonderful vacation!
Alison
Alison Agnew´s last blog ..Lifeguard Rumble
I love that California/Spanish Colonial style. I would definitely be interested in this house – - if only I could afford it!
What a beautiful, beautiful home….if I win the lottery I’m first in the queue!
Liz@VioletPosy´s last blog ..British Summer
I love the updated pictures, I only recall seeing “crime” scene photos. It’s nice to life and sunshine in this beautiful home.
I would love to own this place, and I don’t think there is much I would change. As for the Marilyn fans, I wonder if time has diminished the amount of trafice they would bring? I haven’t done the Hollywood Map to the Stars homes in ages, it would be interesting to know.
Have a safe and wonderful vay cay!!
Pat´s last blog ..Loved Those Model Homes!
It looks beautiful and while owning a piece of history would be very special, no, I wouldn’t want a house with so much fan interest.
I wonder what the Marilyn aspect has added to the price?
Have a wonderful trip!
Struggler´s last blog ..3 Habits of Highly Stylish People
I LOVE the backyard and the kitchen is so spacious and light. Very nice, but I’d feel like Marilyn was watching over me. :s Have fun in FL…Disneyworld???
Amanda @ Serenity Now´s last blog ..Dishing It! Party Your Summer Reads
I like the family room and kitchen ceiling. The pool looks relaxing and the flowers are beautiful. Wouldn’t want this house though because of the history and it’s not my style.
Julia, thanks for taking the time to post this when I’m sure you had a lot of packing and things to do. Have fun on vacation!
I could go for this house BIG TIME! Perfect size and lots of windows!
Darling house and so glad to see that so much of the integrity has been preserved. Glad you are getting a chance to refresh, renew and re-energize!
Re: the negative comments about the furnishings: I like the furnishings. I think the furnishings make it look cottagey and homey. The rug in the living room doesn’t really match the furniture, but other than that, it looks like a home, not a showpiece. I’d much rather live in a home than a showpiece.
Very nice house! I love that they didn’t alter it too much. Have a fun and safe vacation!!
Mrs. R´s last blog ..Researching Getaways
Great post. It looks very cozy and relaxing. Have a great trip!
Jocelyn Stott´s last blog ..Loaf Love
Oh wow! I absolutely love it.
Juju at Tales of Whimsy.com´s last blog ..Contest- Superhero Needed
Ahhh, finally the perfect place to hang my autographed picture of MM.
I’d make her breakfast every day if it meant I got to live here. Love it. And I agree it looks bigger than I’d thought from other pictures I’d seen. I wonder how many times it’s changed hands since MM?
Oh and I’d add a hand carved mantle over the fireplace to match the beams. The fireplace looks naked without one.
Hi Julia – I don’t know where you are heading but hope you have a safe journey and a wonderful time you deserve it….. My husband loves Marilyn we have this beautiful black and white poster of her overlooking a part of New York … WOW anyway I think this house is beautiful but I don’t think I could live in it for the same reasons as you guys can’t…. thanks for a wonderful post… till next time Regards Esther from Sydney….
I too had only ever seen ‘crime scene’ photos of it before now. I’d could see myself there, but don’t think the endless line of tourists would sit too well with me either.
I love it. Overall I actually like the decorating concept the home’s current owners had in mind with they decided to go with simple furnishings. It’s just that some peices do look a little on the cheap side.
Enjoy your break Julia.
Donna – from Sydney
Donna R´s last blog ..Selling property Here’s how to keep up with new builds
Thanks for showing Julie I loved Marilyn she was a great star just a shame how her life ended, it was lovely to see her home, so cosy you could just imagine her sat by the fire, I would love to own it such a shame I cannot afford the price tag that goes with it have a great vaccation looking forward to see where you landed!!
))
Elaine´s last blog ..Out & about!
Wow! That kitchen is amazing! What a great house with some interesting history!
Jess @ Frugal with a Flourish´s last blog ..Home Tour- Lynns Crafty Home
The current state of the house is absolutely gorgeous and looks like a quintessential Hollywood style. However, because I believe in ghosts and have a very vivid imagination, I don’t think I could live there.
Looking forward to hearing about your vacation. Bon voyage Julia!
-marie
Marie´s last blog ..Rewards from My Garden
Beautiful House! Luv that pool.
I would love to own THIS piece of Hollywood history.
Intriguing post Julia!
xo xo
Visual Vamp´s last blog ..Mourning Room
This is a beautiful house, have you looked into Feng Shui. I am studying Real Estate and becoming more aware of this. I loved the pool area. Live, Love and be happy no matter what age you are.
I am so in love with your blog. I told my mom about it and we are so hooked. Please keep it up.
Thanks,
Valerie
http://www.thecutecouponer.blogspot.com
Valerie´s last blog ..One Special Night
This is quite a stunning home, and I wouldn’t have expected less! It is so Hollywood with the white walls and beams in the ceiling isn’t it? Very California-cool, love it.
Nancy
Nancy@marcusdesign´s last blog ..tory burch- the new seoul boutique
I would think it might have lots of looky-loos if one bought the house, but maybe not so much. Plugging it into Google Maps and doing a street view you can see there are no sidewalks or parking on the tiny dead end lane to the gate so you really see nothing from the street. Also if you click the link on G maps for other RE around here you can see the comps. Looks to be priced a bit on the high side as one would expect but also looks a bit nicer to me than most. However, at almost 4M I’d expect the place to have air conditioning, well there ya go – a deal breaker, lol.
Those white beamed ceilings in the bedroom are what we have in our familyroom. It’s called shiplap with NO insulation, just the wood, the tar paper and the shingles, and because of it, that room even with brand new air conditioning is 20 degrees hotter than the rest of the house. Buying new air was the whole point in cooling that room, but $10K later, it didn’t. Pretty, but HOT!
This house is a Spanish inspired ranch home, not a bungalow, which are basically from the Craftsman time period.
I toured the property yesterday. It actually has changed quite a bit since the time Marilyn owned it. Read about my visit and see before and after photos here: http://themarilynmonroecollection.blogspot.com/2010/07/my-tour-of-marilyns-last-home.html
How lovely! I would never have expected to like it, but it’s perfect. Couldn’t stand the gawkers, though.
My parents almost bought the home in November, 1962 when it was put up for sale at fair market value through an auction coordinated by the City. However, the price at the time was about $130,000. That was a lot of bucks back then considering Marilyn only paid $90,000 on a 15 year mortgage at $320.00 a month.
My folks decided it was a bit too rich for their blood at the time and we remained at our quiet digs in the San Fernando Valley.
Some trivia: As a child actor, I worked with Marilyn twice (see “Scotty Morrow” at http://www.imdb.com) Fond memories for sure.
Scott–
No kidding? How interesting! And I see you were on all kinds of classic TV shows. Nice to hear from you! -Julia
Thanks Julia. You have a fine website. I peruse it often. I just haven’t left any comments until yesterday about Marilyn’s old home.
Speaking of which, When I toured the house with my parents in 1962 I don’t recall the property having four (4) bedrooms and three (3) baths. I believe it was more like 3 and 2? Previous owners must have done add-ons. But from the posted photos it does appear that the original foundation and structure have remained in tact. And that’s a good thing.
Keep up the good work.
Best,
Scott
I WANT THIS HOUSE!!! im only 16 but my moms moving next year when i graduate and wants me to live on my own!! i have always wanted this house! i have been a fan of marilyn since i was about 7. i never thought the day would come when this house would be for sale..
<3 Taylor!