The mansion had been on the market since 2017, priced at $180 million, then reduced to $115 million. The property is known as the shining star of LA’s Holmby Hills, and has been a playground for the who’s who of Hollywood since it was completed in 1936. The classic Tuscan-styled mansion was built in 1935 by Robert D. Farquhar for Florence and Charles Quinn. Florence was divorced from Arthur Letts who, in 1925, was the original owner and developer of the 3,296 acres of land on which Holmby Hills is located. After the Quinns, the home was bought by 20th Century Fox co-founder Joseph Schenck. As detailed in the book Unreal Estate by Michael Gross, Marilyn Monroe was said to spend much time there and at only 21, it was said that, although Schenck was still married to his first wife, she had an affair with him and lived in the guest house. The Owlwood Estate sits on four acres and was the largest and most luxurious house at the time measuring in at 12,000 square feet and a cost of $150,000. Farquhar also designed Beverly Hills High School and Festival Hall for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. The grandiose decor oozes a sumptuous elegance, and the dining room and office boast dark wood wall panelling, extravagant chandeliers and vibrant contemporary art. See: Dining room ideas – inspiration for decorating and furnishing your space See: Panelling ideas for walls – to bring warmth and interest to your spaces The bedrooms are lighter and brighter, with detailed cornicing rubbing shoulders with on-trend statement house plants, like the celebrity-favoured fiddle leaf fig tree. See: Gwyneth Paltrow’s grand childhood home in New York Actor Tony Curtis later bought the home from Shcenck towards the latter part of his career. It’s reported Cher fell in love with the house when attending a party that Tony Curtis threw at the home and she went on to purchase the mansion from him with her then-husband Sonny Bono. Gossip began when Cher wanted to leave Sonny but CBS threatened to cancel their TV show, the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, if one of them moved out. So they decided to inhabit separate wings. Later on, they sold the estate to playboy Ghazi Aita of Monaco. It’s not hard to see why everyone fell under the home’s spell; the exquisite pool area is surrounded by flower-decked walls, and there’s a sumptuous outdoor living area to really make the most of the blue skies and LA lifestyle. House tour courtesy of Top Ten Real Estate Deals (opens in new tab).
Who currently lives in Marilyn Monroe’s house?
Marilyn Monroe is said to have lived in 43 different homes, however she only bought one house in Los Angeles at 12305 Fifth Helena Drive. Built in 1929, the Hacienda-style house has four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Marilyn Monroe’s home is now owned by Scottish YouTuber Jasmine Chiswell. Just 25, she moved to the US from Carluke, Lanarkshire, to follow her ambition of working as a film producer in Hollywood. She lives in Marilyn Monroe’s house – and is even said to emulate the late actress’ looks.
