My journey ends here...
Helena Drive
The main part of the informations and pictures about this file comes from Gary Vitacco-Robles book "Cursum Perficio : Marilyn Monroe’s Brentwood Hacienda" (thank you so much Gary :o)).
I also want to thank Scott (www.marilynmonroecollection.com) and Eric for their pictures.
A link about the house here.
Address :
12305 Fifth (5th) Helena Drive (
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
), near
Carmelina Avenue, Brentwood, Los Angeles 
,
Located near Santa Monica and the Ocean, between Sunset Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard (Brentwood's main street).
At that time, the entrance of the Helena Drives didn't include any numbers.
Located in a dead-end with a drive and a house on each side
,
,
,
,
;
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
The house was 10 minutes by car from the Fox (Pico Boulevard), one kilometer from the Greensons, close to the golf of the Brentwood Country Club.
Map of the house 
,
,
,
,
Aerial pictures
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
-
,
-
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
)
,
).
Description
On the paving of the entrance of the property (
) was a particular flagstone, inscribed Cursum Perficio (My journey ends here), with Mexican ceramics. This inscription had been installed by the previous owners, in 1932
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
Behind a high white wall, sheltered from the outside (" A fortress where I feel secure"), the one-story house, in L shape had a Spanish style (it looked like Dr Greenson's one) and a surface of 213m².
On the 700m² of the property were also a garage, a small guest house, a garden with luxuriant bougainvilleas and an oval pool.Pictures
The gate
-
,
,,
,
,
,
,
,
;,,
-
,,,;
The whole property
-
-
,
,
,
,
;
,;
-
,
,
The house
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
-
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
The garden
,
,
;
-
,
,
,
-
-
,
,
,
;
,
;
The pool
,
,
,
-
,
,
-
;
;
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
;
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
-
It needed a renovation but it had also lots of charm : red tiles roof, thick stucco walls, double windows, cathedral vault ceiling in the salon, and beams in the whole house.
It had been built in 1929 by a movie studio accountant.
The walls were covered with adobe, and the ceilings were vaulted like in an hacienda.The entry was direct in a small salon (
)
-
-
,
,
;
,
,
;
,
;
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
;
;
;
,
;
on the left, the kitchen and a dining-room (
) 
,
;
-
,
-
,
,
,
, and a small solarium (
)
-
,
,
-
-
,
;
;
-
;
,
,
-
,
;
-
,
.
The solarium was small but warm, with no curtains on the windows, through which the pool could be seen. Marilyn put some furniture and 2 bookcases with 5 shelves, bearing many books. An Aztec tapestry
(
,
) was hanged on the adjoining wall of the dining-room (,
)
and on the opposite wall, there were figurines representing 4
Mexican musicians with a
sombrero, playing violin, trumpet, guitar and
clarinet 
;
,
Left, 3 bedrooms, one with an adjoining bathroom overlooking the garden, 2 others, smaller, shared a second bathroom.
In the main bedroom (
) there was a small night stand, on the left of the bed, with a small lamp
with a lampshade 
-
.
Few days before her death, Marilyn had bought another night stand, which was delivered on August 4, but not installed. The one seen on the pictures so is the old night stand.
Near the bed there was a terra cotta pitcher, inscribed "Un recuerdo de Toluca", a souvenir of her trip in Mexico. A record-player was plugged in beside her bed. 
,
,
In a corner, there was a fireplace 
,
-
,
,
,
-
Pictures of the window overlooking the driveway of the property 
,
Current picture of the window broken by Dr Greenson 
,
Pictures of August 5, 1962 
-
-
,
-
-
,
;
-
Current pictures
,
,
,
,
,
;
,
,
The bathroom of the main bedroom was decorated with yellow and blue tiles, on the walls, above the sink and around the bathtub
-
-
,
,
-
-
,
-
,
,
;
;
;
,
,
,
,
,
.
Some tiles were hand-decorated with orange flowers and yellow leaves (
-
-
).
The second bathroom (
) was accessible from the guest bedroom and from the third
bedroom (
,
,
).
The guest bedroom (
) had a two-places bed and 2 furniture in walnut tree
(,,
,;
,
;
).
A boudoir between Marilyn's room and the dressing-room of this era : 
.
The 3rd bedroom had been changed in a dressing-room
(
;
,
,
,
,
).
Marilyn had bought a huge wardrobe to tidy her clothes and there was a three-parts mirror, custom-made, which came from Doheny Drive.
Her wardrobe, colorful (clothes from Pucci) contrasted with her New York wardrobe (black, white and beige colors).
There were few closets (only 2 for 3 bedrooms) and none of them could be locked.
The kitchen (
,
)
had a brick floor, Mexican blue and yellow tiles on the walls, and was
fitted with a rectangular fridge, modern chromium "Hotpoint", repainted
in blue on the visible front to matched with the tiles
(
,
;
);there was a freezer on the upper part.
-
,
,
,
,
-
,
-
,
,
-
,
,
,
-
The interior design had a Mexican style 
-
-
,
She had purchased the furniture during her trip in Mexico in February 1962 (
). Some of the furniture, authentic pieces, hadn't been yet delivered when she died.
snake in the appletree. She hanged it up in the corridor, close to her bedroom :
.
The dominant color was white : walls, wool carpets in bedrooms and salon.
The guest house was divided in 2 , a bedroom and a small salon. There was no heating and couldn't be
occupied during the cold days : 
,
,
,
,
;
.
The garage contained furniture and items she hadn't enough time to install in the house.
She planted a tree in the patio and hired some Mexicans workers to build a low wall around the tree.
Her gardener, Mr Tateishi
planted some white azaleas on the bottom of the tree. She subscribed to Horticulture magazine, of which an issue would be found next to her bed.
,
;
,
,
,
Furniture
She bought a sofa, designed by Norman Norell which arrived from New York a few days before her death.
It remained packed in the guest house. Later, it would be
recovered with a gold velvet and bought by a
collector from Los Angeles 
,
She ordered some armchairs in leather and wood; waiting for the delivery, she used an Italian sofa with assorted armchairs and green velvet cushions, which came from Doheny Drive.
Furniture
-
,
-
-
,
-
-
-
-
,
-
-
--,,
,
Bibelots 
,
Cf. Marilyn stuff.
Visit
Eunice Murray found her the house, at the end of January 1962.
Marilyn visited it and remembered each and every detail; she much loved the house which had been occupied by several generations.
The kitchen and the 2 bathrooms needed renovation works and a new plumbing.
Marilyn was immediately inspired to decorate it with Mexican tiles, with bright colors. She wanted to restore this house in its original style with a colonial Spanish atmosphere.She asked Joe DiMaggio to go with her for a new visit with Eunice Murray, to advise her and give her his impression.
She enquired about her neighbors : one of them, Mr Abe Landau
(
). The other neighbors were Mr and Mrs John and Joan
Maucieri, on Dunoon Lane,
; the back oftheir house overlooked Marilyn's back house .
Another neighbor was Hanna Fenichel, a friend of the Greensons.
Purchase
Marilyn bought the property for 77 500$ (some says 90 000$) from William and Doris Pagen (
-
).
She paid the sum of 42 5000$ (from the 100 000$ she earned for "Some Like It Hot") and signed a credit of 6.5% for 15 years at the City National Bank of Beverly
Hills.
She began the monthly repayment of 320$ a month since March 1, 1962.
If Marilyn had kept on paying this house, she would have ended the repayment on February 1, 1977.
Her lawyer Milton
Rudin drew the bill of sale up (
).
Moving in
She moved in a kind of panic the week-end of March 8 and 9, 1962, with DiMaggio's help. Back from Mexico, she had discovered that a newspaper had published her adress of Doheny Drive.
She was proud to be the owner of her house (for the first time, independent) and proud of the changes she started. She made it visited with great pleasure. She liked its secluded aspect, was delighted to buy some furniture, didn't want that everybody could see where she lived.Work
While her trip in Mexico in February 1962, it was Eunice Murray's son-in-law, Norman Jefferies and his brother Keith who had started the work (cleaned and polished the woodwork, washed the walls and took the kitchen furniture away).
Plumber Roy Newell installed a temporary kitchen in the guest house with a sink, a fridge and an oven.
Cabinetmaker Ray Tolman made a table and some benches for the breakfast nook, in dark walnut tree wood.He removed the gas pipes by boring the thick walls and for this occasion, had a heart attack and was hospitalized. Marilyn sent him a bunch of roses and a supportive message.
She also employed Sam Tateishi as gardener and the Landon Pool Service for the pool maintenance.
She asked the workers not to rush their tasks to obtain a quality work.
She wanted her bedroom's fireplace to look like Greenson's one; she asked the workers to remove the existent bricks to replace them by ceramic tiles bought in Mexico. This happened on April 30, 1962, while she was starting the shooting of "Something's Got to Give".
When she came back home this evening, she had the pleasant surprise to discover the original tiles which were
under the bricks :
.
,
,
,
,
,
-
-
,
Once she had moved in, Edward P.Hulavaty of the A1 Lock and Safe Company changed the exterior door locks;
he came back
several weeks later to change the locks of some of Marilyn's furniture 
,
,
The renovation of the house went on while Marilyn continued the preparation of her part in "Something's Got to Give".
She planned to make build an apartment above the garage and for this, contacted an architect. Assorted to the house, it would have a balcony, exterior stairs and beams on the ceiling. She wanted to install there her cook from New York, Hattie Stevenson.
Inventory dated August 17, 1962 
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
Cancellation of the insurance, November 27, 1962 
Future of the house
Since her death, the house has had several owners; the first bid was made by Dr Gilbert M.Nunez and his wife
Betty Jane(
,
;
).
They bought the house on March 15, 1963 (
) for the sum of 87 500$, with a deposit of 8 750$.
The sale was confirmed on May 7, 1963. They moved in in September 1963.
They bought the house with a big part of the furniture. They removed the partial dividing wall in the guest house. Mr Nunez died in the house on October 14,1972.
Many of the furniture and items were sold 
;
.
In May 1997, the children of Mrs Nunez auctionned many furniture and items of Marilyn , including the hat she used to wear for gardening, sold between 4 000$ and 6 000$, her dressing-room mirror between 15 000$ and 20 000$.
The following owners were : Mr and Mrs Michael Irving from 1976 to 1978 (
).From 1978 to 1981, Mr and Mrs Frank Fried. In 1987 Mrs Sandy Bull.
From 1997 to 2010, Henry and Cynthia Rust.
In 2019, "Glory of the Snow".
The house was publicly put on the market in 1985, 1986 and 2010.
The house had several works through the years. The space between the guest house and the main house would
become joined 
,
,
;
;
;
.
The guest house would be renovated and rented. The dining-room and the kitchen would become one single
room, a kitchen
extended and modernized (
,
;
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
-
,
,
,
,
).
A studio was also built next to the pool (
,
,
), and a child playhouse built near the blue door opening the property
(
).
The Mexican ceramic tiles chosen by Marilyn would be sold 800$ a piece. One of the owners would use them to recover the mosaic of Marilyn's table top. A tiled floor would replaced the white wooden carpets in the salon.
The gate of the property Marilyn had bought at
Ralse Period Furniture would be relpaced by an electrical gate, notably
to make the entrance unrecognizable to the many tourists present during
the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984.
In 1998, the real estate agency Jon Douglas Properties would sell it, renovated and reequipped, for the amount
of 1
275 000$ 
.
The owners, Mr and Mrs Henry and Cynthia Rust have completely renovated it. There are no more of the Mexican tiles, so dear to Marilyn, and the exterior walls had been destoyed and rebuilt. They have separated the main house with the garage by tall shrubs.
In 2010, it was put on the market for 3,6 millions $.
History of Brentwood
The pure air which circulated in Brentwood came from the Coast and preserved the charm of this town from the Los Angeles pollution. It was an ideal place to live for Marilyn when she would stay in Los Angeles.
Brentwood wasn't really a town but a part of West Los Angeles, on the foothills of the mounts of Santa Monica.Brentwood was bordered north by the Mount St Mary High School, south by the Brentwood Country Club, East by the UCLA (University of California Los Angeles) and west by the Topanga State Park.
This small town had much grew between the 19th and the 20th Century, with implantation of a new route for cars.
Began in 1906, the Westgate Streetcar Line linked the National Home for Disabled Soldiers, east, (now The Veterans Administration) to the Pacific Ocean, in Santa Monica.The Brentwood Park grew as a residential area, later this year.
In 1962 Brentwood was an important community with many shops and restaurants on San Vicente Boulevard, between Barrington Avenue and Bundy Drive, creating this way, a pleasant pedestrian commercial village.
Opened in November 1948 at 26th Street and San Vicente Boulevard, it represented, in miniature, the famous Farmer Marker, located on Fairfax Avenue. Marilyn often went there with the limo with chauffeur she rented to do her shopping.
BACK TO INDEX
NEXT FILE