Marilyn Monroe's Los Angeles home was set to be demolished but…

The property was to be demolished by its current owner but the residents of the neighbourhood became aware of the plan.

Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe's LA residence, which was the only property she owned in her life, has been saved from demolition after a backlash from residents in the neighbourhood. Marilyn Monroe bought the house in the city's Brentwood area in 1962 after her divorce from Arthur Miller. She was found dead in the property just months later following an apparent drug overdose at the age of 36.

View of Marilyn Monroe's Spanish Colonial-style former house.(Reuters)

The property was to be demolished by its current owner but the residents of the neighbourhood became aware of the plan after the owner filed for permits, CNN reported. The current owner bought the 2,900-square-foot hacienda for USD 8.35 million. After the backlash, the Los Angeles officials intervened to block the demolition.

The home sits on an estate which boasts a swimming pool and citrus grove. It has four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

“Unfortunately, the Department of Building and Safety issued a demolition permit before my team and I could fully intervene and get this issue resolved,” LA city councilwoman Traci Park said.

We received hundreds of calls urging us to save the house, Traci Park said. “At this point, it may be into the thousands. All of our phones in city hall and the field office have been ringing off the hook for the last 48 hours," she said.

The city council unanimously approved LA city councilwoman's emergency motion to begin the process to designate the house a historic building.

“We have not been contacted at all by the property owner. Most certainly they were aware of who owned the home previously and who lived and died there," Traci Park said.