Marilyn Monroe's Los Angeles house saved from demolition after backlash from neighbours

After backlash from the residents, the Los Angeles officials intervened to block the demolition.

Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe's LA residence, the only property she owned in her life, has been saved from demolition after backlash from residents in the neighbourhood.  Monroe bought the palatial pad in the city's Brentwood area in 1962 after her divorce from Arthur Miller but was found dead in the property just months later, following an apparent drug overdose at the age of 36.

The property was to be demolished by its current owner, who bought the 2,900-square-foot hacienda for USD 8.35 million. The residents of the neighbourhood became aware of the planned demolition after the owner filed for permits, according to CNN. After backlash from the residents, the Los Angeles officials intervened to block the demolition.

"Unfortunately, the Department of Building and Safety issued a demolition permit before my team and I could fully intervene and get this issue resolved," LA city councilwoman Traci Park said in a news conference last week. Park said she received hundreds of calls urging her to save the Spanish colonial-style house.

On Friday, the city council unanimously approved Park's emergency motion to begin the process to designate the house a historic building. Demolition is on hold until the city's Office of Historic Resources conducts a study and analysis of the home, according to Park.

The 2,624-square-foot home sits on an estate which boasts a swimming pool and citrus grove. It has four bedrooms and three bathrooms.