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The celebrated Stahl house, a paragon of midcentury modern architectural design, is up for sale for the very first time in its whole history.

This suspended residence, situated in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, was listed on the market this recent week. The asking price stands at a substantial $25 million.

Family Decision to Sell

The Stahl family, who have owned the residence for its full 65-year history, issued a declaration regarding their choice to sell. They stated that the property had grown increasingly challenging to upkeep.

"This home has been the center of our lives for many years, but as we’ve aged, it has become more difficult 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 "steward" for the house – "a person who not only appreciates its architectural importance but also grasps its role in the cultural history of Los Angeles and further afield."

Unassuming Inception

The beginnings of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the first owners bought a hilly parcel of land in the at the time undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house becoming a famous symbol of the city, the family often pointed out that "nobody famous ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Design Challenge

The original design for the Stahl house was created during the warm season of 1956. However, many builders were initially wary to construct it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the family interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to accept the task. With assistance from the prominent Case Study program, pioneered by a leading magazine editor, the Stahls received subsidies to engage Koenig.

The progressive program "was about trial and error" and "using new resources and constructing in sites that maybe previously the techniques didn’t really permit," stated an specialist from a city heritage organization. "All those things are wrapped up into a site like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, progressive and unthinkable in terms of how it was constructed on that site that everyone else believed, at the time, was not feasible."

Realization and Famous Influence

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and construction began in May 1959. According to the owners, construction amounted to "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 expert commented.

Soon after the build ended, a famous architectural photographer shot what is arguably the most well-known image of the home. Taken through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photo depicts two women seated in the home’s living room but seeming to levitate over the LA skyline.

"In my opinion the long-standing effect of the photograph is due to the way it communicates an idea about living in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both in the city and removed from it," stated a head of an architectural firm and educator at a prominent university.

Historic Recognition

The home has made historic features in film, broadcast and music videos, 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.

Future Stewardship

The home continues to be open for visits, 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 property description for the home stresses finding a buyer who will preserve the character of the space.

"For connoisseurs of architecture, advocates of architecture, or entities seeking to safeguard an national treasure, there is simply no parallel," the listing say. "This goes beyond a transaction; it is a handover of custody – a hunt for the next custodian who will honor the house’s past, appreciate its original vision, and ensure its preservation for generations to come."

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

"I think 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 cannot predict what the next owner, what their aims will be. And do they grasp and appreciate the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"