After a tumultuous three days of campaigning Council Woman Traci Park of Los Angeles has passed a temporary stay of demolition of Marilyn Monroe's Brentwood home.
The Councilwoman spoke in a recent press conference that she had been contacted by 'hundreds and hundreds of people from around the world' sharing their concern for the safety of the property once owned and lived in by Marilyn. This helped to convince council members of the historic and cultural relevance of the site and she and her team have been working around the clock to halt the demolition.
The next stage in the preservation of the home is designating it as a Historic and Cultural Monument, in order to halt any future plans to destroy it.
If successful, this could set a precedent for the preservation of other historic landmarks in L.A which are currently unprotected from potential pull down. The area has seen many of its legendary sites already lost, including Schwabs Pharmacy and the homes of other stars from the golden age of Hollywood including Jayne Mansfield's iconic Pink Palace, and the mansion used in the classic film Sunset Boulevard.
It is unbelievable that a place so embedded in the culture that funds and fuels it values its historic landmarks so little.
The huge outpouring of emotional response to the Marilyn Monroe house confirms how precious her legacy is but also the lack of duty of care that should have been there in the first place. I can't help but think that even Marilyn, the most recognisable star of the 20th Century with a thriving fan base, couldn't be considered as legitimate enough for cultural relevance. It mirrors the fact that women's history in general is never taken as seriously or treated with the same reverence as their male counterparts. Perhaps that is why general history is so dominated with men, while women have been creating, supporting, inspiring and existing alongside them since people began preserving stories.
This is certainly a wonderful and uplifting breakthrough in the story of Marilyn's legacy and I am grateful to all the other fans who reached out and to Councilwoman Traci Parks for her efforts. The fight isn't over yet, but as we continue along, let's hold a good thought for Marilyn and champion all the women making history every day.
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