Forget “My Week With Marilyn.” For $27,500, you can rent the Upper East Side townhouse where Marilyn Monroe used to hole up when she was in New York.
Located at 127 East 78th Street, this four-story classic was built in 1899 and was owned by Monroe’s cohort, photographer Milton Greene and his wife, Amy. It is just steps off Park Avenue and retains the old-school elegance and privacy that drew Monroe, along with pals like Bette Davis and Irving Berlin.
Greene died in 1985, and the property has since been owned by the same person since 1989. After several rental attempts at $35,000 per month, the 3,500-square-foot townhouse is now available for a long-term lease. There’s a grand marble staircase, fireplaces, a parlor, garden-level deck and stained glass from Luchow’s. And, to make it comfortable along with being welcoming, there’s central air and a separate laundry.
Though these celebrities are long gone, the place does evoke the times when Greene and Monroe teamed up and delivered some of the most iconic shots of the superstar model and actress.
From the Milton Greene Archives:
“Milton first encountered Marilyn Monroe on assignment for Look Magazine. They quickly became close friends and ultimately formed their own film production company which produced Bus Stop and The Prince and the Showgirl. Before marrying Arthur Miller, Monroe lived with Milton and his family in their Connecticut farmhouse. It was during this period that Greene was able to capture some of the most beautiful photographs ever taken of Marilyn Monroe, recording her moods, beauty, talent and spirits. During their ten years together, Greene photographed Monroe in countless photographic sessions including the famous “Black” sitting.
However, this UES townhouse was not the only place Monroe spent time when she escaped Hollywood for NYC. As chronicled in this story from The New York Times, Monroe also lived with husband No. 2 Joe DiMaggio and husband No. 3 Arthur Miller at various hotels and apartments around the city, including a 13th-floor apartment at 444 East 57th Street and apartments at the Gladstone Hotel and the Waldorf-Astoria.
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