Then and Now: A Guide to Marilyn Monroe’s Los Angeles

Marilyn Monroe’s Los Angeles story began on June 1, 1926, when she was born in the city—and it ended decades later on August 5, 1962 in the affluent suburb of Brentwood. Though she’s been gone for more than six decades, she remains one of the most famous celebrities of all time.

When you’re in L.A., you can still walk in her footsteps through the city she called home. From her humble beginnings as Norma Jean Mortenson to her rise to stardom as a Hollywood icon, here are 10 must-see places to experience Marilyn Monroe’s Los Angeles.

10 Places to Retrace Marilyn Monroe’s Footsteps in LA

Marilyn Monroe passed away at just 36, but she lived an extraordinary life that still fascinates people all over the world. While much of Marilyn Monroe’s Los Angeles has changed since her time, there are still many places that remain. Here are 10 sites that bring her story to life across the City of Angels, from historic hotels to long-forgotten hideaways.

1. Hollygrove (formerly Los Angeles Orphan Home)
815 North El Centro Ave, Los Angeles

The orphanage (it was the first one in LA) where young Norma Jean lived from 1935 to 1937 is no longer a residential care facility, but the building where she spent part of her childhood remains. Her room had a window facing the water tower of RKO Studios (now Paramount Studios) where she would eventually become the star of the show.

Marilyn Monroe strutting along RKO Studios

2. Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
7028 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood

Oh, if these walls could talk. One of Hollywood’s most famous landmarks, the historic Hollywood Roosevelt is where Monroe posed for her very first commercial (most people think it was for suntan lotion but it was for toothpaste) on the pool’s diving board that no longer exists. In the mid-50s she regularly stayed in a suite above the pool area that is now the Tropicana Bar. It’s reported that Monroe loved the hotel so much her spirit lives here to this day. Whether or not that’s true, you can at least experience her presence by booking the Marilyn Monroe Suite (room 229).

3. The Charlie Hotel
819 North Sweetzer Ave, West Hollywood

At one time or another, this enchanting English bungalow hideaway was the home of many famous tenants including Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe. In 2008 the property was completely restored and renamed The Charlie, where you can rent the same two-bedroom cottage where Monroe lived in the 1940s.

Making an impression: Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell

4. Grauman’s Chinese Theatre
6925 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood

One of the most iconic moments in Hollywood happened on June 26, 1953. That’s when Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell put their handprints and autographs in the cement in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre for their movie “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” But what you might not know is that there’s a small plaque on the nearby fountain that quotes Monroe: “I used to go to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and try to fit my foot in a celebrity impression. It really meant to me that anything is possible … almost.” Coins collected from the fountain are donated to Hollygrove.

5. Avalon Hotel (formerly Beverly Carlton Hotel)
9400 Olympic Blvd, Beverly Hills

This retro-chic boutique hotel was home to Marilyn Monroe during several periods of her life, starting in 1948 and then intermittently for about three years. She was photographed many times at the property, which, back then, was more of a residential apartment building that housed people in the industry including Mae West, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. By the summer of 1949 she had met Johnny Hyde, a talent agent at William Morris Agency. They moved into a rented house together in Beverly Hills, but she still kept her one-bedroom apartment at the hotel. The fantastic part about the Avalon is that the pool area and lobby look much like it did back in the day and the famed hourglass-shaped pool you see today is the same one she once splashed around for photo shoots.

Marilyn Monroe posing poolside in 1951 at the Beverly Carlton – Photo by Phil Burchman

6. Barney’s Beanery
8447 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood

This funky hangout is as popular today as it was when it first opened in 1920. Take a look at their humongous menu and not only will you find about a million different things to eat and drink, you’ll read stories of its most famous patrons, including Marilyn. She would make a point of coming here for the chili throughout the years and would often visit often during the filming of “Some Like It Hot.” (And apparently she did.)

7. Beverly Hills Hotel
9641 West Sunset Blvd, Beverly Hills

Marilyn first lived at the Pink Palace in 1952 in a third-floor room and then off and on while filming different movies until 1960. Marilyn and her second husband Joe DiMaggio stayed at the hotel soon after they were married, in early 1954, while waiting for decorators to finish their home at 508 North Palm Drive in Beverly Hills. In 1960, during her last stay to film “Let’s Make Love,” Monroe and (her third and final) husband Arthur Miller lived in Bungalow 20 while her co-star Yves Montand and his wife stayed in the adjacent Bungalow 21. The two actors took the movie’s title quite literally and ended up carrying on an affair. The next year Monroe and Miller divorced.

8. Bristol Farms (formerly Chasen’s)
9039 Beverly Boulevard, West Hollywood

Back in the heyday of Old Hollywood, there was no better place than Chasen’s to see and be seen. In a New York Times article, general manager Ronald Clint — who worked at the restaurant from 1954 until its closing day in 1995 — recalled that Marilyn Monroe was a regular. “Marilyn was a lovely girl. She was making a movie nearby — might have been her last. She would film all day and wear slacks on the way home. She would sneak in through a side door and eat in a corner booth because she wore slacks. Nowadays, she’d be considered dressed up.” Although the restaurant is long gone, you can still find the original booths, paneling, and some vintage photos located near the market’s cafe. Who knows? You might end up seated on the very same booth that Monroe shared with Joe DiMaggio.

Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio at Chasen’s

9. Formosa Cafe
7156 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood

Location, location, location. For all the glitz and glamour Marilyn exuded, many of the places she frequented weren’t exactly high end. Case in point: This legendary haunt that has seen just about every celebrity pass through its doors since 1925. And no, it’s not because the food is so great. It’s because of its location right next to a movie studio. It’s adjacent to a strip mall now, but back in 1958 while filming “Some Like It Hot,” Marilyn was a regular. Formosa Cafe had a major renovation and reopened in 2018. Now you can see her — along with generations of stars from Humphrey Bogart to James Dean — gracing the photographs that line the bar’s walls.

10. Westwood Memorial Cemetery
1218 Glendon Ave, Westwood

Marilyn Monroe died on August 5, 1962 at the age of 36. Although her death is still a subject of controversy (was it the mob? did she really overdose? was there a political cover-up from the Kennedys?), there is no dispute that her bronze casket is interred in wall crypt 24 at the Corridor of Memories in the northeast corner of this somewhat hidden cemetery. She was buried in her favorite light-green Pucci dress with a bouquet of pink roses from her former husband Joe DiMaggio. According to the New York Times, DiMaggio was left in charge of her funeral as she had no family to take over. He also didn’t allow any Hollywood people attend the service. For the next 20 years, DiMaggio had fresh flowers delivered to Marilyn’s grave twice a week.

Marilyn Monroe’s Los Angeles Lives on Today

Although she never even made it to 40, Norma Jean Mortenson defied the odds of her tragic childhood to become a worldwide sensation as Marilyn Monroe. She took on the persona of the powerful woman she always dreamed of becoming, embodying the sparkle and sizzle of a true movie star. Although hers was a short, tumultuous, and peripatetic life, Marilyn Monroe created a legacy that will live on forever.

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Mar Yvette

Lifestyle writer Mar Yvette is on a mission to bring you the best people, places, and products to make your life pop!