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The famous Stahl house, a quintessential example of midcentury modern architectural design, is up for sale for the very first time in its complete history.

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

Owners Move to Sell

The Stahl family, who have owned the property for its full 65-year timeline, released a announcement regarding their choice to sell. They stated that the property had become excessively demanding to maintain.

"This residence has been the core of our lives for decades, but as we’ve aged, it has become progressively harder to maintain it with the care and energy it so richly deserves," wrote the descendants of the initial owners.

They added that the moment had emerged to find a new "steward" for the house – "a person who not only recognizes its architectural significance but also understands its position in the cultural landscape of Los Angeles and further afield."

Modest Origins

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

Despite the Stahl house growing into a renowned symbol of the city, the family often pointed out that "no celebrities ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "working-class family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Design Feat

The first design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer of 1956. However, many architects were originally reluctant to build it on the precarious hillside.

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

The progressive program "centered around trial and error" and "utilizing new building materials and building in sites that maybe previously the techniques didn’t really permit," stated an specialist from a regional preservation society. "Each of these factors are integrated into a property like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, modern and unimaginable in terms of how it was constructed on that location that everyone else thought, at the time, was not feasible."

Finalization and Famous Influence

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and building started in May 1959. According to the residents, construction totaled "just $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 specialist noted.

Soon after construction was finished, a famous architectural photographer shot what is possibly the most well-known photograph of the home. Taken through the full-length glass windows, the image features two women sitting in the home’s living room but seeming to hover over the Los Angeles skyline.

"I think the enduring effect of that photograph is due to the way it expresses an notion about residing in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both metropolitan and separate from it," said a head of an architectural practice and lecturer at a prominent university.

Cultural Recognition

The home has enjoyed memorable features in film, 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 included as a protected property on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Stewardship

The home remains open for public viewings, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all tours are currently reserved through February. In their announcement regarding the sale, the family said they would give "plenty of advance notice" before ending the tours.

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

"For collectors of architecture, advocates of architecture, or entities seeking to safeguard an national treasure, there is simply nothing comparable," the description say. "This is more than a purchase; it is a passing of responsibility – a hunt for the next guardian who will respect the house’s legacy, appreciate its original vision, and ensure its preservation for generations to come."

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

"In my view any time a longtime owner, and a guardianship like this, is being sold of a property like this, it always gives us a little bit of a hesitation – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their plans will be. And can they grasp and cherish the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"