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The renowned Stahl house, a quintessential example of modernist design, is currently listed for the very first time in its entire history.

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

Owners Move to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have held title to the property for its entire 65-year history, shared a statement regarding their decision to sell. They noted that the house had grown excessively demanding to upkeep.

"This house has been the heart of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve aged, it has become more difficult to look after it with the dedication and vigor it so rightfully warrants," stated the offspring of the initial owners.

They continued that the period had arrived to find a new "custodian" for the house – "a person who not only recognizes its architectural significance but also comprehends its place in the cultural landscape of Los Angeles and elsewhere."

Modest Inception

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

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a renowned symbol of the city, the owners often emphasized that "no celebrities ever lived here," describing themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a white-collar house."

Construction Challenge

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

In November 1957, the family interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to accept the challenge. With support from the influential Case Study program, spearheaded by a prominent magazine editor, the family received financial aid to hire Koenig.

The progressive program "was about experimentation" and "employing new building materials and building in locations that maybe before the technology didn’t really allow," commented an specialist from a regional preservation society. "Each of these factors are integrated into a place like the Stahl house, which was innovative, modern and unthinkable in terms of how it was built on that site that everyone else believed, at the time, was impossible to build."

Finalization and Iconic Impact

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and construction started in May 1959. According to the family, construction totaled "only $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The outcome was "a perfect representation of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the specialist added.

Soon after completion, a celebrated architectural photographer took what is perhaps the most well-known image of the home. Captured through the enormous glass windows, the photo shows two women positioned in the home’s living room but seeming to float over the Los Angeles skyline.

"I think the enduring impact of that photograph is due to the way it expresses an concept about dwelling in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both metropolitan and detached from it," commented a principal of an architectural practice and lecturer at a major university.

Protected Designation

The home has made notable features in movies, broadcast and music videos, including several well-known titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city recognized 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.

Coming Ownership

The home remains open for visits, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all slots are currently sold out through February. In their statement concerning the sale, the family indicated they would give "ample notice" before discontinuing the tours.

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

"For collectors of design, supporters of architecture, or organizations seeking to protect an iconic work, there is simply nothing comparable," the description read. "This is not merely a transaction; it is a transfer of stewardship – a search for the next steward who will respect the house’s past, value its architectural purity, and secure its preservation for posterity."

The expert affirmed that the choice of buyer would be a crucial one, given the home’s legacy.

"In my view any time a longtime owner, and a custodianship like this, is transferring hands of a property like this, it always causes a little bit of a concern – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their aims will be. And do they grasp and appreciate the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"