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The renowned Stahl house, a quintessential example of midcentury modern architectural design, is now available for the very first time in its complete history.

This cantilevered home, perched in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, hit the real estate market this week. The listing price stands at a notable $25 million.

Owners Choice to Part With

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the home for its complete 65-year existence, shared a statement regarding their resolution to sell. They noted that the dwelling had grown too difficult to upkeep.

"This home has been the center of our lives for decades, but as we’ve aged, it has become increasingly challenging to look after it with the care and energy it so richly deserves," stated the descendants of the first owners.

They continued that the moment had come to find a new "steward" for the house – "someone who not only values its architectural significance but also grasps its role in the cultural fabric of Los Angeles and further afield."

Unassuming Origins

The origins of the Stahl house go back to May 1954, when the initial owners acquired a hilly parcel of land in the previously undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house becoming a well-known icon of the city, the owners often emphasized that "nobody famous ever lived here," describing themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a luxury house."

Architectural Challenge

The first design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer of 1956. However, many architects were at first reluctant to build it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the owners met with architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to take on the challenge. With assistance from the prominent Case Study program, pioneered by a prominent magazine editor, the family received subsidies to commission Koenig.

The contemporary program "focused on experimentation" and "utilizing new resources and building in places that maybe previously the engineering didn’t really enable," stated an specialist from a city conservancy. "All those things are integrated into a site like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, progressive and unthinkable in terms of how it was constructed on that plot that everyone else thought, at the time, was impossible to build."

Realization and Cultural Legacy

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and work started in May 1959. According to the owners, construction amounted to "a mere $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The outcome was "a perfect representation of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the expert noted.

Soon after the build ended, a famous architectural photographer shot what is arguably the most iconic photograph of the home. Taken through the enormous glass windows, the photograph depicts two women positioned in the home’s living room but seeming to hover over the city skyline.

"I think the lasting influence of the photograph is due to the way it expresses an idea about residing in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both in the city and separate from it," said a head of an architectural firm and lecturer at a prominent university.

Historic Recognition

The home has made memorable features in film, television and promos, including several popular 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 listed as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coming Stewardship

The home continues to be open for public viewings, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all slots are currently fully booked through February. In their announcement regarding the sale, the family stated they would give "plenty of advance notice" before stopping the tours.

The property description for the home highlights finding a purchaser who will preserve the spirit of the space.

"For connoisseurs of design, advocates of architecture, or institutions seeking to preserve an American masterpiece, there is simply no equal," the details state. "This goes beyond a transaction; it is a handover of custody – a search for the next custodian who will respect the house’s past, respect its original vision, and guarantee its preservation for posterity."

The authority agreed that the choice of purchaser would be a vital one, given the home’s legacy.

"I believe any time a long-term steward, and a guardianship like this, is changing ownership of a property like this, it always creates a little bit of a pause – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their plans will be. And do they understand and value the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"