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The celebrated Stahl house, a quintessential example of modernist architecture, is now available for the very first time in its whole history.

This overhanging dwelling, perched in the Hollywood Hills area, hit the market this week. The listing price stands at a substantial $25 million.

Owners Decision to Sell

The Stahl family, who have owned the home for its complete 65-year timeline, shared a announcement regarding their choice to sell. They expressed that the dwelling had become excessively demanding to care for.

"This house has been the center of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve aged, it has become increasingly challenging to maintain it with the care and energy it so rightfully warrants," commented the children of the initial owners.

They continued that the time had emerged to find a new "custodian" for the house – "a person who not only values its design legacy but also grasps its position in the cultural fabric of Los Angeles and elsewhere."

Modest Origins

The beginnings of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the original owners acquired a mountainous patch of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills area for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house becoming a well-known icon of the city, the family often pointed out that "no famous individuals ever lived here," describing themselves as a "average family living in a white-collar house."

Construction Undertaking

The first design for the Stahl house was created during the summer of 1956. However, many builders were initially hesitant to construct it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the family consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to accept the project. With support from the prominent Case Study program, pioneered by a prominent magazine editor, the owners received subsidies to hire Koenig.

The contemporary program "centered around experimentation" and "utilizing new materials and building in sites that maybe before the technology didn’t really allow," stated an specialist from a regional heritage organization. "All these elements are integrated into a place like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, contemporary and unimaginable in terms of how it was constructed on that plot that everyone else thought, at the time, was impossible to build."

Finalization and Cultural Influence

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and work started in May 1959. According to the family, construction totaled "just $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The result was "an idealized version of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the authority commented.

Soon after the build ended, a famous architectural photographer shot what is arguably the most iconic picture of the home. Shot through the enormous glass windows, the photo depicts two women positioned in the home’s living room but appearing to float over the Los Angeles skyline.

"In my opinion the long-standing influence of that photograph is due to the way it conveys an notion about dwelling in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both urban and separate from it," stated a head of an architectural firm and educator at a leading university.

Protected Designation

The home has made notable appearances 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 added as a protected property on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coming Ownership

The home continues to be open for tours, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all appointments are currently fully booked through February. In their statement regarding the sale, the family stated they would give "sufficient warning" before discontinuing the tours.

The listing for the home highlights finding a new owner who will conserve the essence of the space.

"For collectors of design, supporters of design, or entities seeking to preserve an national treasure, there is simply no equal," the listing state. "This goes beyond a transaction; it is a transfer of stewardship – a hunt for the next steward who will celebrate the house’s legacy, respect its original vision, and ensure its conservation for generations to come."

The expert agreed that the decision of buyer would be a vital one, given the home’s past.

"In my view any time a longtime owner, and a guardianship like this, is being sold of a property like this, it always creates a little bit of a hesitation – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their aims will be. And will they understand and appreciate the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"