For Her Birthday, Mapping Marilyn Monroe's 43 Homes
Photo
via Reddit Original bombshell Marilyn Monroe, the actress whose
tumultuous marriages, rumored presidential trysts, and untimely death
have made her a cult icon, spent her life wandering from residence to
residence, living in at least 43 homes in her...
Curbed
For Her Birthday, Mapping Marilyn Monroe's 43 Homes
By Curbed Staff
3 hours ago
Original bombshell Marilyn Monroe,
the actress whose tumultuous marriages, rumored presidential trysts,
and untimely death have made her a cult icon, spent her life wandering
from residence to residence, living in at least 43 homes in her 36
years. (She only bought one house—the one she died in.) The apartments and summer estates
are valuable supporting roles in the life of Norman Jean Mortenson,
telling a story from infancy and foster care through three marriages and
into superstardom. In honor of her birthday, which is on Sunday, all 43
homes are mapped, below. Have a look.
— By Sean O'Hagan
· All Marilyn Monroe posts [Curbed National]
For Her Birthday, Mapping Marilyn Monroe's 43 Homes
For Her Birthday, Mapping Marilyn Monroe's 43 Homes
Photo via RedditOriginal bombshell Marilyn Monroe, the actress whose tumultuous marriages, rumored presidential trysts, and untimely death have made her a cult icon, spent her life wandering from residence to residence, living in at least 43 homes in her 36 years. (She only bought one house—the one she died in.) The apartments and summer estates are valuable supporting roles in the life of Norman Jean Mortenson, telling a story from infancy and foster care through three marriages and into superstardom. In honor of her birthday, which is on Sunday, all 43 homes are mapped, below. Have a look.
5454 Wilshire Boulevard
Technically the first "home" of Norma Jean Mortenson, the baby who
would become Marilyn Monroe, was the Los Angeles General Hospital, where
she was born in 1926. The first residence she lived in, however, was
that of her mother Gladys Monroe. Gladys had been separated from her
second husband Martin E. Mortensen since before the pregnancy, and
though he was listed as the father on Norma Jean's birth certificate
(with his surname spelled wrong) it is widely believed that someone else
was the father and that Gladys put Mortensen's name down to avoid the
stigma of illegitimacy.
459 East Rhode Island Street
Being both mentally and financially unstable, Gladys placed Monroe in
the care of foster parents Albert and Ida Bolender just two weeks after
she was born. She would go on to live with the Bolenders until she was
seven years old. The original address of 459 East Rhode Island Street
was changed to 4201 West 134th Street in the 1940s due to
re-districting.
6012 Afton Place
In 1933 Monroe moved to Hollywood with her birth mother. Gladys
rented the two upstairs bedrooms of this house, which was close to her
job at Consolidated Film Industries. Monroe would only live here for two
years; a series of mental breakdowns landed Gladys in a state hospital
in the suburbs of Norwalk. The house was later destroyed to make more
room for the Hollywood Bowl parking lot. The road's now called Arbol
Street.
Highland Ave
Gladys' best friend, Grace McKee, became Monroe's legal guardian and
representative in 1935.The two took residence at the home of the Giffen
family, a middle-class family actively involved in the film industry.
Grace and Monroe would go to the cinema together, which nurtured
Monroe's love of the movies.
Lodi Place Los Angeles, CA
A little later on in 1935, Monroe relocated with McKee to the residence of McKee's mother Emma Willette Atchinson.
6707 Odessa Avenue
On August 10, 1935, McKee married Ervin Goddard and the couple, along
with Monroe, moved to a bungalow in Van Nuys. Shortly thereafter
Goddard insisted that Monroe be placed in an orphanage. After a stint at
the orphanage, Monroe returned to live with the Goddards in 1937. It
didn't last long, however; Ervin physically abused Monroe.
Los Angeles Orphans Home Society
Monroe lived at the Los Angeles Orphans Home Society for the two
years that were bookended by her stays with the Goddards. Several
families showed interest in adopting Monroe, but Gladys refused to sign
adoption papers. The orphanage was rebuilt in 1957 under the name
Hollygrove.
Lankershim, CA
To get her away from her husband, McKee placed Monroe in the home of
Ida Martin and Martin's daughter Olive Brunings, who lived in a suburb
north of Los Angeles. She lived with Martin and Brunings from November
1937 to August 1938. The stay ended abruptly. She was assaulted by one
of Olive's sons.
14743 Archwood Street
Marilyn was then put in the hands of Ana Lower, McKee's aunt.
However, Lower suffered from a cardiovascular illness, which resulted in
Monroe moving back in with the Goddards. She stayed at their new
residence in Van Nuys from 1940 to 1941.
432 S Bentley Ave
On June 19, 1942, at the ripe age of 16, Monroe married Jim Doherty
at this property owned by Chester Howell. The site was apparently
selected for the home's spiral staircase, which they thought would make a
great bridal entrance for the ceremony.
4524 Vista Del Monte St
After marrying, Doherty and Monroe lived in this one-room studio bungalow in 1942.
14747 Archwood Street
In the summer of 1943 the couple rented out Doherty's parents' three-bedroom home.
310 Metropole Avenue
Jim Dougherty's service in the Merchant Marines relocated the couple
to Southern California's Catalina Island. They lived here from 1943 to
1944.
5254 Hermitage Street
From 1944 to 1945 the couple lived at this home with Ethel Dougherty, Jim's mother.
11348 Nebraska Avenue
To get away from her mother-in-law's disapproval, Monroe and Doherty
moved into the one bedroom apartment downstairs from her "Aunt" Ana
Lowers, the aunt of Monroe's legal guardian Grace McKee Goddard.
604 South 3rd Street in Las Vegas
In May of 1946, Monroe lived with Minnie Willette (another aunt of
Grace McKee) for four months. As a resident of Nevada, quickly got a
divorce.
Studio Club
From September 1946 until the summer of 1947 Monroe paid $12 a week
to live in the Studio Club, an "apartment hotel for women".
131 South Avon Street
In the summer of 1947 Monroe lived at this place in Burbank, but only
while the couple who owned it were on vacation. The home was close by
Warner Brothers Studios, and it was during this period that Monroe first
started dabbling in acting.
El Palacio Apartments
In the fall of 1947 Monroe moved into the apartment of well known
actor/singer John Carroll, and his wife Lucille Ryman. She had been
assigned to caddy Carroll at an annual golf tournament over the summer.
She stayed with the Carrolls for five months.
Bel Air Hotel
In 1948 Columbia Pictures set Monroe up in the Bel Air Hotel, where the actress stayed on-and-off until 1949.
718 North Palm Drive
From 1949 to 1950 Monroe moved in with Johnny Hyde of the William
Morris Agency. Hyde was married with children at the time. Hyde would
later leave his wife for Monroe, though his greatest influence was
probably his encouragement for her to retouch her nose and chin and dye
her hair platinum blonde.
Beverly Carlton Hotel
In order to avoid bad press and gossip, Hyde also put Monroe up at
the Beverly Carlton Hotel, today known as the Avalon Hotel Beverly
Hills.
1309 North Harper Avenue
In the fall of 1950, Monroe moved into the two-room duplex (now on the rental market!)
of fellow actress Natasha Lytess. During this time Monroe enrolled in
literature and art history classes at UCLA and got acting assignments
with Lytess.
611 North Crescent Drive
In 1951 Marilyn moved back to the Beverly Carlton Hotel, living with
Shelley Winters. Later that same year she would return to living with
Lytess at her new home in West Hollywood. Lytess continued to coach
Monroe.
1121 Hilldale Avenue
For six months during 1952 Monroe rented a home in West Hollywood. It
was during this time that she started dating Joe DiMaggio.
2393 Castilian Drive
Later on in 1952, Monroe and DiMaggio rented a home together in
Outpost Estates, a historic canyon neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills.
Rent was $225 a month.
Doheny Apartments
In 1953 Monroe moved to this apartment complex, living in unit No. 3
until January 1954. During this time she lived at the Beverly Hills
Hotel, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the Sherry Netherland Hotel in New
York, and the Banff Springs Hotel in Canada.
508 North Palm Drive
After extended stays at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo and at DiMaggio's
two-story home in San Francisco, Monroe rented this place in 1952. It
would be followed by a stay at the Hampshire House Hotel in New York
City.
8336 Delongpre Avenue
Monroe lived in this luxury duplex apartment building for a little more than a month in November 1954.
Suite 1105, St. Regis Hotel
She and Joe DiMaggio stayed here during the filming of The Seven Year Itch
in 1954. During this trip, the pair got into a huge argument over her
famous blowing skirt scene. They would divorce later that year.
Voltaire Apartments
After leaving DiMaggio, Monroe hid out at an apartment in this
complex before sneaking away to New York City. Today the Voltaire
Apartments are known as Granville Towers.
Gladstone Hotel
Monroe moved to the Gladstone following her divorce from DiMaggio. At
the time she was working with photographer Milton H. Green.
Waldorf Astoria New York
Monroe then sublet a three-room suite on the 27th floor of the
Waldorf Astoria. She used the hotel stationary to write poems and diary
entries.
2 Sutton Place, NYC
Monroe lived here in 1955, when she met Arthur Miller at the Broadway premiere of his show A View from a Bridge. The two married the next year. An apartment that was rumored to be the one Monroe rented hit the market for $2.5M in 2011.
444 East 57th Street, NYC
After getting married, Monroe and Miller moved to the 13th floor of this apartment building. Miller wrote the final draft of The Misfits in this apartment. The duo lived here until 1961, when they divorced.
64 Deep Lane, East Hampton
In 1957 Monroe and Miller rented a home in Amagansett, on the east
coast of Long Island. The house was built in the 1800s, and other
tenants include Kurt Vonnegut and Terence Stamp. The spread, which
includes a windmill guest house, has flicked on and off the market (both rental and otherwise) for years.
28752 North Shore Road
This 1935 estate on Lake Arrowhead was a popular vacation destination for Monroe. Today it rents for $18,000 a week.
Owlwood Estate
Monroe was rumored to have stayed in the storied megamansion known as Owlwood Estate,
which belonged at the time to Joseph Schenk, the founder of 20th
Century Fox. She denied publicly the idea of a romance between the two.
The house built in 1936 was later home to Tony Curtis, Sonny and Cher,
and the widow of subprime mortgage profiteer Roland Arnall. hough
Owlwood has never been officially listed, the estate, once three
separate parcels that were cobbled together into one freakish display of
Southern California opulence, had been quietly shown to potential
buyers since July 2012, reportedly with a palm out for $150M. On Valentine's Day this year rumors swirled that a mystery buyer had agreed to pay between $75M and $85M for it all.
Farralone Estate
In the '50s, Frank Sinatra leased the Farralone Estate and rented out
the guest house to Monroe, who found it to be a great place to
recharge. Her alleged tryst with John F. Kennedy is believed to have
happened here, earning the estate a spot on the list of houses with unseemly backstories. The property was It was also recently seen on an episode of Mad Men.
Sinatra's Penthouse
At his New York penthouse, Frank Sinatra played host to the likes of Monroe, John F. Kennedy, and Andy Warhol. The place boasts 18-foot floor-to-ceiling windows, and Warhol once called it a "glittering grotto in the sky."
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel was one of the starlet's favorite
hotels on the West Coast. Today the hotel has renovated what was her
favorite suite and offers their guests an extraordinary stay in the
"Marilyn Monroe Suite," which is (duh) haunted.
Cal Neva Resort
Straddling the border between California and Nevada on Lake Tahoe's
northwest shore, this resort is said to have been visited by celebrities
like Monroe and the Kennedy family. Rumor has it that Monroe once
overdosed in one of the resort's cabins.
12305 Fifth Helena Drive
Urged by her psychiatrist to "put down roots," Monroe bought this
place in 1962. It was the only place she ever purchased and the scene of
her death. In 2012, the place sold for $5.1M.
· All Marilyn Monroe posts [Curbed National]
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