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The renowned Stahl house, a epitome of midcentury modern design, is currently listed for the very first time in its entire history.

This cantilevered home, situated in the Hollywood Hills area, hit the listings this week. The asking price stands at a substantial $25 million.

Family Decision to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have owned the home for its complete 65-year history, issued a declaration regarding their decision to sell. They stated that the dwelling had become excessively demanding to care for.

"This house has been the core of our lives for decades, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become progressively harder to look after it with the dedication and effort it so rightfully warrants," wrote the descendants of the initial owners.

They continued that the period had arrived to find a new "guardian" for the house – "an individual who not only appreciates its architectural importance but also understands its role in the cultural fabric of LA and further afield."

Modest Inception

The beginnings of the Stahl house go back to May 1954, when the original owners purchased a hilly plot of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a well-known icon of the city, the residents often emphasized that "no celebrities ever lived here," describing themselves as a "working-class family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Construction Challenge

The first design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer months of 1956. However, many architects were originally hesitant to erect it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the owners interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to undertake the challenge. With assistance from the prominent Case Study program, led by a prominent magazine editor, the family received financial aid to commission Koenig.

The modernist program "focused on experimentation" and "employing new building materials and building in sites that maybe previously the technology didn’t really allow," commented an specialist from a regional preservation society. "Each of these factors are integrated into a property like the Stahl house, which was innovative, contemporary and inconceivable in terms of how it was built on that site that everyone else considered, at the time, was impossible to build."

Completion and Famous Impact

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and building began in May 1959. According to the residents, construction amounted to "just $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The final product was "a perfect representation of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the expert added.

Soon after the build ended, a renowned architectural photographer captured what is possibly the most well-known image of the home. Captured through the enormous glass windows, the photo features two women seated in the home’s living room but looking to hover over the LA skyline.

"I think the lasting effect of the image is due to the way it communicates an notion about living in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both urban and detached from it," said a principal of an architectural company and adjunct professor at a leading university.

Protected Designation

The home has made notable cameos in cinema, television and videos, including several popular titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city designated the Stahl house a heritage site, and in 2013, the house was included as a protected property on the National Register of Historic Places.

Future Stewardship

The home continues to be open for public viewings, as it has been for the last 17 years, although all tours are currently sold out through February. In their statement announcing the sale, the family said they would give "sufficient warning" before discontinuing the tours.

The property description for the home stresses finding a purchaser who will conserve the character of the space.

"For connoisseurs of style, patrons of building, or institutions seeking to preserve an national treasure, there is simply no parallel," the details read. "This goes beyond a sale; it is a handover of custody – a search for the next custodian who will honor the house’s legacy, respect its original vision, and ensure its preservation for posterity."

The specialist concurred that the choice of new owner would be a vital one, given the home’s past.

"I believe any time a longtime owner, and a stewardship like this, is changing ownership of a residence like this, it always causes a little bit of a pause – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And can they understand and appreciate the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"