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The celebrated Stahl house, a paragon of midcentury modern architecture, is up for sale for the very first time in its whole history.

This overhanging home, perched in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, appeared on the real estate market this past week. The asking price stands at a notable $25 million.

Stewards Choice to Part With

The Stahl family, who have owned the home for its entire 65-year timeline, issued a declaration regarding their choice to sell. They stated that the house had grown too difficult to maintain.

"This residence has been the core of our lives for many years, but as we’ve grown older, it has become increasingly challenging to care for it with the attention and vigor it so truly merits," wrote the children of the original owners.

They continued that the time had emerged to find a new "guardian" for the house – "an individual who not only values its design legacy but also comprehends its role in the cultural fabric of Los Angeles and beyond."

Modest Beginnings

The origins of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the first owners purchased a sloped parcel of land in the previously undeveloped Hollywood Hills district for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house becoming a renowned symbol of the city, the residents often pointed out that "no celebrities ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a luxury house."

Construction Feat

The original design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer months of 1956. However, many builders were originally hesitant to build it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the family met with architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to accept the challenge. With assistance from the influential Case Study program, pioneered by a prominent magazine editor, the owners received support to commission Koenig.

The contemporary program "was about innovation" and "employing new building materials and erecting in places that maybe before the technology didn’t really enable," stated an expert from a regional heritage organization. "All those things are wrapped up 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 believed, at the time, was impossible to build."

Realization and Iconic Legacy

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and construction commenced in May 1959. According to the owners, construction cost "just $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The outcome was "a perfect representation of what everyone imagines 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 picture of the home. Shot through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the image depicts two women seated in the home’s living room but seeming to hover over the city skyline.

"I believe the lasting impact of that photo is due to the way it communicates an idea about dwelling in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both in the city and removed from it," stated a principal of an architectural practice and lecturer at a major university.

Cultural Status

The home has enjoyed notable cameos in film, television and 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 listed as a preserved site on the National Register of Historic Places.

Future Custodianship

The home continues to be open for visits, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all appointments are currently fully booked through February. In their release concerning the sale, the family indicated they would give "plenty of advance notice" before discontinuing the tours.

The sales details for the home emphasizes finding a buyer who will preserve the spirit of the space.

"For connoisseurs of architecture, patrons of building, or entities seeking to preserve an iconic work, there is simply nothing comparable," the listing say. "This is more than a purchase; it is a handover of custody – a search for the next steward who will respect the house’s history, value its architectural purity, and guarantee its preservation for posterity."

The expert concurred that the decision of new owner would be a vital one, given the home’s legacy.

"I believe any time a long-term steward, and a stewardship like this, is changing ownership of a home like this, it always gives us a little bit of a concern – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their plans will be. And do they understand and appreciate the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"