Date Change for Forever Marilyn Grand Unveiling

Forever Marilyn, the iconic sculpture and tourist attraction, is set for unveiling April 25

PALM SPRINGS—The beloved “Forever Marilyn” statue will be unveiled in a ceremony on April 25, P.S. Resorts announces.

The grand unveiling previously was set for April 18, but installation timelines have necessitated the date change, according to a news release.

Twenty-six feet high and weighing in at 34,300 pounds, the statue first made a splash in Palm Springs when it was installed at the corner of Tahquitz Canyon Way and Palm Canyon Drive from 2012 to 2014.

 

Since then, efforts have been underway to bring Marilyn back to stay—a goal that has been achieved with P.S. Resorts’s purchase of the statue from the Seward Johnson Atelier at a price of $1 million, plus installation costs. “Forever Marilyn” will find its new home on City-owned land on Museum Way, near the Palm Springs Art Museum.

“Forever Marilyn is truly priceless,” P.S. Resorts Chairman Aftab Dada said in a prepared statement. “Her last stay in Palm Springs brought in millions of dollars in revenue and publicity during the Great Recession. Now more than ever, Palm Springs will benefit from that kind of an influx.”

The economic impact of “Forever Marilyn” will be studied by an outside firm after two years. The Palm Springs City Council has approved a three-year agreement allowing the use of the land in the meantime.

Created by sculptor Seward Johnson as a tribute to Monroe’s iconic performance in The Seven Year Itch, “Forever Marilyn” first debuted in Chicago in 2011. In recent years, it has been kept disassembled at the Seward Johnson Atelier in New Jersey.

When “Forever Marilyn” was installed at the corner of Tahquitz Canyon Way and Palm Canyon Drive in 2012, the 26-foot-high sculpture was erected in a matter of days. This time around, her stay will be for much longer, requiring a different installation process, especially as concerns the statue’s base.

The dates of Forever Marilyn’s ”’s departure from the Seward Johnson Atelier in New Jersey and her arrival – albeit in pieces – in Palm Springs have not changed.

Stay tuned for more details regarding the unveiling ceremony.

P.S. Resorts is a non-profit organization made up of local hoteliers to promote Palm Springs tourism through events and attractions. For more information on P.S. Resorts, visit www.ps-resorts.com