Celebrity Wallpaper: Cursum Perficio | The Series: Part I, The House & Grounds

In following up to my July 18, 2010 blog post "My Tour of Marilyn's Last Home," I'm moving forward with the first part of a three part series titled "Cursum Perficio | The Series."

Part I focuses on the outside of Marilyn's house and the grounds surrounding the home.

Part II will focus on the inside of the house.

Part III will focus on Marilyn's bedroom, and will include video footage.

Cursum Perficio | The Series: Part I, The House & Grounds

The house itself, while very similar to the time when Marilyn lived there, has undergone some significant changes. The guesthouse and main house have been joined. Several rooms have been added in the back of the house, but are not connected to the main house.

The pool area remains the same, as does the terraced lower lot in the rear of the house.

Many of the plants appear to be the same from the time when Marilyn lived there. I noticed that two palm trees currently in the back yard can be seen in photos of the property taken on August 5, 1962.

An interesting point of note, Marilyn herself paid for the iron grates that still protect many of the windows in the home. An entry on Marilyn's personal bank reconciliation statement from May, 1962, reads "Film City Ornamental Iron Works - Deposit on window grills. $500.00." To read more about this statement, which is part of The Marilyn Monroe Collection, click here.

The photo below shows the green Pucci dress Marilyn was buried in being removed from her home. The man in the image stands on Marilyn's doorstep, directly over the now famous tiles reading "Cursum Perficio."