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The renowned Stahl house, a paragon of modernist architecture, is now available for the first time in its whole history.

This suspended home, perched in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, hit the market this past week. The asking price stands at an impressive $25 million.

Family Move to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have held title to the home for its complete 65-year history, issued a announcement regarding their resolution to sell. They stated that the property had grown increasingly challenging to care for.

"This home has been the core of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve aged, it has become increasingly challenging to maintain it with the attention and effort it so richly deserves," stated the offspring of the initial owners.

They added that the moment had arrived to find a new "guardian" for the house – "a person who not only values its design legacy but also understands its place in the cultural landscape of LA and elsewhere."

Unassuming Inception

The origins of the Stahl house go back to May 1954, when the original owners purchased a hilly patch of land in the previously undeveloped Hollywood Hills area for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house growing into a well-known symbol of the city, the family often stressed that "no celebrities ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "average family living in a luxury house."

Architectural Undertaking

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

In November 1957, the owners interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to take on the challenge. With backing from the prominent Case Study program, led by a key magazine editor, the owners received support to engage Koenig.

The modernist program "centered around trial and error" and "employing new resources and building in sites that maybe previously the technology didn’t really permit," remarked an expert from a local heritage organization. "All those things are integrated into a property like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, contemporary and inconceivable in terms of how it was erected on that location that everyone else considered, at the time, was not feasible."

Finalization and Famous Impact

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and construction commenced in May 1959. According to the residents, construction cost "a mere $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 specialist noted.

Soon after completion, a famous architectural photographer took what is perhaps the most famous image of the home. Captured through the full-length glass windows, the photograph features two women sitting in the home’s living room but appearing to hover over the Los Angeles skyline.

"I believe the enduring effect of this image is due to the way it communicates an idea about living in Los Angeles, an duality about being both urban and detached from it," stated a founder of an architectural practice and educator at a leading university.

Protected Status

The home has made memorable appearances in cinema, broadcast and music videos, including several popular titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city declared 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.

Coming Stewardship

The home is still open for public viewings, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all tours are currently reserved through February. In their release concerning the sale, the family said they would give "ample notice" before stopping the tours.

The listing for the home stresses finding a purchaser who will maintain the character of the space.

"For enthusiasts of architecture, supporters of building, or institutions seeking to protect an iconic work, there is simply no equal," the description say. "This goes beyond a transaction; it is a handover of custody – a search for the next custodian who will honor the house’s legacy, appreciate its original vision, and secure its protection for future generations."

The specialist concurred that the choice of purchaser would be a crucial one, given the home’s legacy.

"I think any time a long-term steward, and a stewardship like this, is transferring hands of a home like this, it always creates a little bit of a pause – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their plans will be. And will they comprehend and appreciate the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"