New location for controversial ‘Forever Marilyn’ statue announced. It isn’t going far

Years after controversy erupted and a lawsuit was filed over the location of a 26-foot-tall statue resembling the late actress Marilyn Monroe, it was announced Monday that the artwork would be moving from its current location on Museum Way. It’s headed roughly 16 feet to the north.

The city announced Monday afternoon that The Committee to Relocate Marilyn (CReMa) and PS Resorts, owners of the statue, have agreed on a settlement to a lawsuit filed over the current location of the 26-foot-tall statue that will see the statue moved into Downtown Park. The city will pay $350,000 in legal fees now that the legal wrangling over a City Council decision to allow the statue on the roadway in the first place has been settled.

A map that accompanied the announcement shows an area roughly 16 feet to the north, just inside the southeast entrance to the park, where it is believed to be headed. The area currently contains palm trees and other landscaping.

“P.S. Resorts and the Committee to Relocate Marilyn have identified a highly visible and safe location in the Downtown Park that satisfies all parties involved,” said Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein. “The move is anticipated to occur no later than March 1 of 2025.”

Part of the years-long debate over the “Forever Marilyn” sculpture in Palm Springs ended in late July, with Bernstein announcing prior to a regular meeting of the Palm Springs City Council that the 26-foot-tall statue would eventually be moved to a new location in Downtown Park.

CReMa had sued the city over the statue’s current location in the middle of Museum Way, claiming the city did not go through the proper process to vacate the street before installing the statue there in 2021. The city appeared unwilling to budge on the location of the statue, but recently began talks with all parties on a compromise.

Early schematics of Downtown Park showed the statue possibly located on a pad roughly 50 yards to the north of where it currently sits. However, there were concerns that using that location would leave a city garage as a backdrop for thousands of pictures of the statue that are taken each year.

The agreement marks a significant shift from the previous plan to keep the statue in its current location on Museum Way. PS Resorts had applied to permanently close off public vehicular access on Museum Way between Belardo Road and Museum Drive, where the statue has stood for the past three years.

The Forever Marilyn statue has been a divisive issue in Palm Springs since its installation. Proponents argue that it celebrates the city’s Hollywood ties and serves as a tourist attraction. Detractors, however, contend that the statue is sexist and inappropriate, and that its placement on Museum Way interferes with the Palm Springs Art Museum. 

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