Penthouse Counting Marilyn Monroe and Portia de Rossi as Former Tenants Returns to Market

In the annals of Hollywood, few celebrities rival Marilyn Monroe for the sheer number of residences lived in and/or associated with. Besides Charlie Chaplin, the top contenders, by our admittedly unscientific reckoning, would include Ellen DeGeneres, and by extension, Portia de Rossi. So it seems rather fitting that both Monroe and de Rossi lived for a time in the very same penthouse, in West Hollywood’s Granville Towers. According to WestHollywoodHistory.org, the “Some Like it Hot” star took up residence in the apartment after splitting up with second husband Joe DiMaggio in 1954. Four decades later, it would become de Rossi’s home while she established her acting career with roles in “Ally McBeal” and “Scream 2.”

Designed by Leland A. Bryant, the gifted architect of the Sunset Tower hotel and several other distinctive luxury apartment buildings in the neighborhood, the seven-story French Normandy-style complex was built in 1930 as the Voltaire Apartments and converted to condos in 1988. Located just below the Sunset Strip, the grand dame has housed a slew of famous tenants over the years, including Rock Hudson, David Bowie, Mickey Rourke, Nora Ephron, Rashida Jones, and Rachel Zoe.

The unit once occupied by Marilyn and later Portia sits atop the north tower, and spreads 2,032 square feet across two levels. On the lower level is the living room, formal dining room, and kitchen, plus a guest bedroom and bath. Notable details include hardwood floors, crown moldings, Venetian plaster walls, Viking appliances and custom steel cabinetry in the kitchen. A glamorous curved staircase spirals up to the light-filled primary suite, which features vaulted ceilings, built-in window seats with storage, and banks of huge skylights that serve up stunning city and mountain views. At the far end of the space, there’s a spa-like bathroom with sizable soaking tub and a standing shower.

As for building amenities, residents enjoy 24-7 doorman services, a manicured courtyard garden with a huge circular fountain it its center, an indoor swimming pool, subterranean parking, and a lit and gated dog run.

The penthouse’s current owner purchased the unit from de Rossi in 2003, paying $860,000 according to property records. It popped up for sale in 2018 at $2.495 million but was eventually withdrawn. It’s now being offered with an asking price a shade under $2.3 million. Monthly HOA dues, covering security/concierge, trash, sewer, and water, are a fairly stiff $1,200; however, helping to offset that sting is the fact that the building benefits from being under the Mills Act, which reduces property taxes for owners by up to 75 percent.

The listing is held by John Luciano and Brian V. Moore, both of Sotheby’s International Realty.