The many homes of Marilyn Monroe, now worth millions: from her Manhattan penthouse to her Hollywood mansion … but did she really secretly meet with JFK at Bing Crosby’s house?
Famous for her comedies, such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and Some Like it Hot (1959), Monroe was one of 20th Century Fox’s most bankable stars. She was the centrefold in the first issue of Playboy magazine and was even rumoured to have had an affair with President John F. Kennedy.
Before the troubled starlet succumbed to an overdose of barbiturates at age 36 in 1962, she left many a mark on popular culture and, along with living large, also owned several suitably glamorous homes.
From orphanages to a studio in Sherman Oaks
An LA native, Monroe spent her childhood bouncing between orphanages and foster care after her mother, Gladys, had a breakdown and was unable to care for her. It was a lifestyle of frequent moves she would keep up for the rest of her life.
Married in 1942 at 16, Monroe lived with her first husband in a studio flat in Sherman Oaks. As her star began to rise, she sought a quickie divorce in Vegas and set out on her own.
A sprawling Runyon Canyon mansion
After stints staying at the women-only Hollywood Studio club and the Beverly Hills Hilton, Monroe and her second husband, New York Yankees-star Joe DiMaggio, moved into a sprawling Runyon Canyon mansion in the Hollywood Hills in 1954. Sadly their marriage lasted just nine months.
The penthouse at Granville Towers
The once-again-solo Monroe then rented the penthouse at Granville Towers, one of the most spectacular buildings in West Hollywood.
A charming lake house in New York
Marriage to playwright Arthur Miller in 1956 brought Monroe to New York. There, the couple was married at Westchester County Court, followed by a Jewish ceremony at a charming lake house in the French Country style, which sits across from the Waccabuc Country Club golf course.
Wrought iron, French doors, arched doorways and European fireplaces impart an old-world fairy tale allure to the 4,300 sq ft, six-bedroom mansion. It was listed in 2017 for US$1.65 million.
Monroe and Miller split their time between a Manhattan penthouse and a Connecticut estate for the five tumultuous years of their marriage.
Bing Crosby’s 6,700 sq ft Rancho Mirage party pad
According to legend, Monroe’s rumoured affair with the dashing JFK took place at the homes of his celebrity friends. Supposedly, one of the president’s most visited love nests was the 6,700 sq ft Rancho Mirage party pad of superstar Bing Crosby.
The palm-lined oasis in Riverside, California boasts an oversized swimming pool, a sprawling open floor plan, Moroccan wooden doors, three firepits and a bar. It was recently listed for US$5 million.
A Mediterranean-style home in Brentwood, LA
Following her third divorce, in 1961, the bombshell bought a Mediterranean-style home in LA’s Brentwood neighbourhood for US$75,000.
Built in 1929, the 2,100 sq ft home with lots of green grass, flowers and citrus trees, was the first that she bought on her own.
Most recently listed for US$6.9 million, the home sits on over 0.2 hectares (half an acre) of prime Southern California real estate and sports four bedrooms, exposed roof beams, a Mexican-tiled fireplace and a swimming pool shaded by mature trees.
In August 1962, four months after she bought the home, Monroe’s body was found face down and nude on the master bed with a phone in her hand. Some say that her ghost still haunts the spectacular mansion.
- Famous for films like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Some Like it Hot, Monroe’s three husbands include baseball legend Joe DiMaggio and playwright Arthur Miller
- She lived in Hollywood and New York, is rumoured to have had a fling with President John F. Kennedy at Bing Crosby’s Rancho Mirage house, and died at her home in Brentwood, LA