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The couple spent considerable time at Miller’s 1769 Revolutionary War-era clapboard farmhouse located on 350 acres in Roxbury, Connecticut. Miller once expressed that “a cool breeze always seemed to blow through the line of grand maples in front of the house,” highlighting the serene atmosphere of this picturesque estate. Initially, the pair considered demolishing the four-bedroom residence that Miller had purchased in 1949 after penning Death of a Salesman, contemplating a new design commissioned by Monroe from the renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. However, Miller was not fond of the architect’s vision, which included a soaring domed ceiling, and preferred to avoid an extensive renovation. He resided there until his passing in 2005, specifically requesting to be moved from his sister’s New York City apartment back to the farmhouse while in hospice care. Following his death, Miller generously donated 55 acres to the Roxbury Land Trust, and in 2015, his daughter Rebecca, along with his third wife, Inge Morath, contributed an additional 100 acres.
Mediterranean-style LA home
An aerial view of the Los Angeles home where Marilyn Monroe died.
After the fragile Monroe’s five-year marriage to Miller concluded, she purchased her first home—a charming Mexican-style residence with eight rooms—for $77,500 (approximately $810,000 today) in February 1962. This gated, L-shaped 1929 Spanish Colonial revival property boasted a red-tile roof and was situated on a cul-de-sac with white stucco walls, originally featuring two bedrooms (now expanded to four), as well as adobe walls and wood-beamed ceilings. Monroe’s bedroom contained a tiled fireplace, mirrored in the living room, and had patio doors that opened into a courtyard. The house was complemented by a small guesthouse, a swimming pool, and a lush garden. Monroe affectionately referred to the 2,900-square-foot residence as her “fortress,” but her time there was tragically brief, lasting only six months before her untimely death at the property.
In 2023, the current owner sought permission to demolish the historic dwelling. This proposal sparked significant public outrage, leading the LA city council to designate the home as a cultural historic landmark, thereby protecting it from demolition. Council member Traci Park emphasized the importance of preserving Monroe’s legacy, stating, “We have an opportunity to do something today that should’ve been done 60 years ago. There’s no other person or place in the city of Los Angeles as iconic as Marilyn Monroe and her Brentwood home. To lose this piece of history, the only home that Monroe ever owned, would be a devastating blow for historic preservation and for a city where less than 3% of historic designations are associated with women’s heritage.”
Although Monroe’s residency at the home was short-lived, it was immortalized in a feature by Life magazine, where she famously remarked, “Anybody who likes my house, I am sure I will get along with.”
Source
www.architecturaldigest.com