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The celebrated Stahl house, a epitome of midcentury modern architecture, is now available for the very first time in its whole history.

This suspended home, perched in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, hit the listings this recent week. The price tag stands at an impressive $25 million.

Stewards Move to Sell

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the property for its complete 65-year existence, shared a statement regarding their resolution to sell. They expressed that the house had grown increasingly challenging to care for.

"This residence has been the heart of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become increasingly challenging to look after it with the care and effort it so truly merits," stated the children of the original owners.

They added that the time had emerged to find a new "guardian" for the house – "an individual who not only values its design legacy but also understands its role in the cultural history of the city and beyond."

Modest Origins

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

Despite the Stahl house growing into a well-known representation of the city, the family often stressed 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 of 1956. However, many architects were originally hesitant to build it on the difficult hillside.

In November 1957, the family met with architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to take on the task. With support from the prominent Case Study program, led by a leading magazine editor, the family received financial aid to engage Koenig.

The contemporary program "was about trial and error" and "using new resources and erecting in locations that maybe earlier the technology didn’t really enable," remarked an specialist from a local conservancy. "Each of these factors are integrated into a property like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, progressive and unthinkable in terms of how it was constructed on that plot that everyone else thought, at the time, was unbuildable."

Realization and Iconic Influence

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and building commenced in May 1959. According to the residents, construction totaled "a mere $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The final product was "a perfect representation of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the authority added.

Soon after construction was finished, a renowned architectural photographer shot what is perhaps the most iconic image of the home. Captured through the enormous glass windows, the image features two women sitting in the home’s living room but seeming to float over the LA skyline.

"In my opinion the lasting effect of this image is due to the way it conveys an idea about living in Los Angeles, an duality about being both urban and separate from it," stated a principal of an architectural practice and educator at a prominent university.

Protected Status

The home has made memorable cameos in movies, broadcast and promos, including several famous 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 listed as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coming Ownership

The home continues to be open for public viewings, as it has been for the last 17 years, although all slots are currently reserved through February. In their statement regarding the sale, the family said they would give "ample notice" before ending the tours.

The listing for the home emphasizes finding a purchaser who will maintain the essence of the space.

"For connoisseurs of design, supporters of design, or organizations seeking to preserve an iconic work, there is simply no equal," the listing say. "This is not merely a transaction; it is a handover of custody – a quest for the next steward who will celebrate the house’s legacy, appreciate its design integrity, and ensure its protection for generations to come."

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

"I think any time a long-term steward, and a guardianship like this, is being sold of a property like this, it always gives us a little bit of a pause – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their plans will be. And do they grasp and value the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"