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The celebrated Stahl house, a epitome of modernist design, is up for sale for the first time in its complete history.

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

Owners Move to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have owned the home for its complete 65-year history, shared a statement regarding their decision to sell. They stated that the house had proven increasingly challenging to care for.

"This home has been the center of our lives for many years, but as we’ve aged, it has become increasingly challenging to look after it with the dedication and vigor it so truly merits," stated the offspring of the initial owners.

They continued that the time had come to find a new "guardian" for the house – "someone who not only appreciates its design legacy but also understands its place in the cultural fabric of LA and beyond."

Unassuming Beginnings

The inception of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the initial owners purchased a sloped patch of land in the at the time undeveloped Hollywood Hills area for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house becoming a well-known representation of the city, the family often stressed that "no famous individuals ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "working-class family living in a luxury house."

Architectural Challenge

The first design for the Stahl house was conceived during the warm season of 1956. However, many builders were at first reluctant to construct it on the difficult hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to take on the challenge. With assistance from the notable Case Study program, spearheaded by a leading magazine editor, the Stahls received subsidies to hire Koenig.

The progressive program "was about trial and error" and "using new building materials and erecting in places that maybe previously the engineering didn’t really enable," stated an specialist from a local preservation society. "All these elements are wrapped up into a site like the Stahl house, which was innovative, contemporary and unthinkable in terms of how it was built on that plot that everyone else considered, at the time, was not feasible."

Realization and Iconic Influence

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and building began in May 1959. According to the owners, construction amounted to "only $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The final product was "the ultimate vision of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the specialist noted.

Soon after completion, a famous architectural photographer took what is arguably the most well-known picture of the home. Taken through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photo features two women sitting in the home’s living room but seeming to hover over the Los Angeles skyline.

"I believe the lasting impact of this photograph is due to the way it expresses an idea about dwelling in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both in the city and separate from it," commented a founder of an architectural firm and lecturer at a prominent university.

Protected Recognition

The home has enjoyed historic appearances in movies, television and promos, 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 added as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Future Custodianship

The home is still open for visits, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all slots are currently sold out through February. In their release concerning the sale, the family indicated they would give "plenty of advance notice" before ending the tours.

The listing for the home stresses finding a new owner who will preserve the essence of the space.

"For collectors of architecture, supporters of design, or organizations seeking to preserve an American masterpiece, there is simply no parallel," the listing read. "This is more than a transaction; it is a passing of responsibility – a hunt for the next custodian who will honor the house’s history, respect its architectural purity, and secure its protection for future generations."

The authority agreed that the selection of new owner would be a critical one, given the home’s past.

"I believe any time a long-term steward, and a stewardship like this, is transferring hands of a residence like this, it always creates a little bit of a pause – because you never know what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And will they comprehend and value the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"