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The famous Stahl house, a paragon of midcentury modern architecture, is now available for the very first time in its whole history.

This suspended dwelling, perched in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, appeared on the listings this week. The asking price stands at a substantial $25 million.

Stewards Choice to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the property for its entire 65-year timeline, released a statement regarding their resolution to sell. They noted that the house had become too difficult to maintain.

"This home has been the center of our lives for many years, but as we’ve aged, it has become increasingly challenging to maintain it with the attention and effort it so truly merits," stated the descendants of the initial owners.

They further stated that the moment had come to find a new "guardian" for the house – "an individual who not only recognizes its design legacy but also comprehends its place in the cultural landscape of Los Angeles and further afield."

Unassuming Beginnings

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

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a well-known symbol of the city, the residents often stressed that "no celebrities ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "working-class family living in a white-collar house."

Construction Undertaking

The original design for the Stahl house was developed during the warm season of 1956. However, many designers were originally reluctant to erect it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the owners consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to accept the challenge. With backing from the notable Case Study program, pioneered by a prominent magazine editor, the family received subsidies to commission Koenig.

The modernist program "centered around experimentation" and "employing new materials and erecting in places that maybe previously the techniques didn’t really enable," commented an expert from a city conservancy. "All those things are combined into a place like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, contemporary and unthinkable in terms of how it was constructed on that location that everyone else considered, at the time, was not feasible."

Completion and Cultural Influence

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and construction started in May 1959. According to the owners, construction cost "only $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The result was "a perfect representation of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the authority commented.

Soon after the build ended, a celebrated architectural photographer shot what is possibly the most well-known image of the home. Shot through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photograph features two women seated in the home’s living room but looking to float over the city skyline.

"I think the enduring influence of this photo is due to the way it conveys an concept about residing in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both urban and removed from it," said a principal of an architectural company and lecturer at a prominent university.

Protected Recognition

The home has made memorable cameos in movies, television and music videos, including several famous 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 preserved site on the National Register of Historic Places.

Future Stewardship

The home is still open for tours, as it has been for the last 17 years, although all slots are currently reserved through February. In their statement concerning the sale, the family indicated they would give "plenty of advance notice" before stopping the tours.

The sales details for the home emphasizes finding a purchaser who will preserve the spirit of the space.

"For connoisseurs of style, supporters of design, or institutions seeking to preserve an iconic work, there is simply no equal," the details state. "This goes beyond a purchase; it is a passing of responsibility – a quest for the next guardian who will honor the house’s past, respect its design integrity, and ensure its protection for posterity."

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

"I think any time a longtime owner, and a custodianship like this, is being sold of a residence like this, it always gives us a little bit of a pause – because you never know what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And will they understand and appreciate the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"