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The renowned Stahl house, a paragon of mid-century modern design, is currently listed for the first time in its whole history.

This cantilevered dwelling, situated in the Hollywood Hills area, was listed on the market this week. The listing price stands at a substantial $25 million.

Owners Choice to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the property for its full 65-year history, issued a announcement regarding their choice to sell. They stated that the house had become increasingly challenging to care for.

"This residence has been the center of our lives for decades, but as we’ve grown older, it has become more difficult to look after it with the care and energy it so richly deserves," stated the descendants of the first owners.

They added that the moment had arrived to find a new "custodian" for the house – "someone who not only appreciates its architectural importance but also comprehends its position in the cultural fabric of LA and elsewhere."

Humble Beginnings

The origins of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the original owners acquired a hilly plot of land in the previously undeveloped Hollywood Hills area for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house becoming a well-known symbol of the city, the residents often pointed out that "no famous individuals ever lived here," describing themselves as a "average family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Design Undertaking

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

In November 1957, the family met with architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to take on the challenge. With backing from the notable Case Study program, pioneered by a leading magazine editor, the owners received support to engage Koenig.

The modernist program "focused on experimentation" and "employing new materials and erecting in sites that maybe before the techniques didn’t really enable," remarked an expert from a city preservation society. "All those things are integrated into a site like the Stahl house, which was innovative, progressive and inconceivable in terms of how it was erected on that site that everyone else believed, at the time, was impossible to build."

Completion and Famous Impact

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and work commenced in May 1959. According to the owners, construction cost "a mere $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The result was "an idealized version of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the expert added.

Soon after completion, a famous architectural photographer shot what is perhaps the most well-known image of the home. Shot through the full-length glass windows, the photograph shows two women sitting in the home’s living room but looking to hover over the city skyline.

"I think the lasting impact of that photo is due to the way it communicates an notion about living in Los Angeles, an duality about being both urban and detached from it," stated a head of an architectural practice and adjunct professor at a prominent university.

Protected Designation

The home has enjoyed memorable appearances in film, TV and videos, 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 preserved site on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Custodianship

The home remains open for visits, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all appointments are currently reserved through February. In their announcement concerning the sale, the family indicated they would give "plenty of advance notice" before ending the tours.

The sales details for the home highlights finding a new owner who will preserve the character of the space.

"For connoisseurs of style, patrons of building, or organizations seeking to safeguard an American masterpiece, there is simply nothing comparable," the listing say. "This is more than a transaction; it is a transfer of stewardship – a quest for the next custodian who will honor the house’s legacy, value its architectural purity, and ensure its preservation for generations to come."

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

"I think any time a longtime owner, and a stewardship like this, is transferring hands of a home like this, it always causes a little bit of a hesitation – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And will they grasp and cherish the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"