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The celebrated Stahl house, a quintessential example of mid-century modern architecture, is up for sale for the first time in its whole history.

This suspended residence, perched in the Hollywood Hills, appeared on the listings this recent week. The listing price stands at a substantial $25 million.

Owners Move to Sell

The Stahl family, who have held title to the residence for its complete 65-year existence, issued a statement regarding their decision to sell. They noted that the property had proven excessively demanding to care for.

"This house has been the center of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve grown older, it has become increasingly challenging to look after it with the care and effort it so richly deserves," commented the children of the initial owners.

They further stated that the period had come to find a new "guardian" for the house – "someone who not only recognizes its architectural significance but also comprehends its role in the cultural fabric of Los Angeles and further afield."

Modest Origins

The beginnings of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the original owners purchased a sloped parcel of land in the previously undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house becoming a famous representation of the city, the owners often pointed out that "no famous individuals ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a white-collar house."

Architectural Undertaking

The initial design for the Stahl house was conceived during the warm season of 1956. However, many designers were initially wary to erect it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to take on the task. With backing from the notable Case Study program, led by a key magazine editor, the Stahls received support to engage Koenig.

The modernist program "focused on experimentation" and "employing new materials and building in sites that maybe previously the engineering didn’t really enable," stated an expert from a regional heritage organization. "All these elements are integrated into a property like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, contemporary and unthinkable in terms of how it was built on that site that everyone else thought, at the time, was impossible to build."

Finalization and Famous Legacy

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and work commenced in May 1959. According to the owners, construction totaled "only $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The final product was "an idealized version of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the specialist noted.

Soon after the build ended, a celebrated architectural photographer shot what is perhaps the most iconic photograph of the home. Taken through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the image depicts two women seated in the home’s living room but looking to float over the LA skyline.

"I believe the lasting effect of this image is due to the way it expresses an notion about residing in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both in the city and removed from it," commented a principal of an architectural company and adjunct professor at a leading university.

Cultural Designation

The home has had historic appearances in cinema, TV and videos, including several well-known titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city designated the Stahl house a historic-cultural landmark, and in 2013, the house was added as a protected property on the National Register of Historic Places.

Future Ownership

The home is still open for tours, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all slots are currently fully booked through February. In their release concerning the sale, the family stated they would give "ample notice" before stopping the tours.

The sales details for the home highlights finding a new owner who will conserve the character of the space.

"For collectors of style, patrons of building, or institutions seeking to safeguard an national treasure, there is simply nothing comparable," the description read. "This goes beyond a transaction; it is a passing of responsibility – a hunt for the next custodian who will honor the house’s past, appreciate its architectural purity, and secure its preservation for posterity."

The specialist agreed that the choice of purchaser would be a critical one, given the home’s history.

"I believe any time a longtime owner, and a guardianship like this, is being sold of a residence like this, it always gives us a little bit of a concern – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their plans will be. And do they understand and appreciate the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"