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

This cantilevered dwelling, nestled in the Hollywood Hills area, hit the real estate market this recent week. The asking price stands at an impressive $25 million.

Family Decision to Sell

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

"This home has been the core of our lives for decades, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become increasingly challenging to care for it with the attention and energy it so rightfully warrants," stated the descendants of the initial owners.

They added that the moment had come to find a new "guardian" for the house – "an individual who not only recognizes its architectural significance but also understands its position in the cultural history of the city and further afield."

Humble Inception

The beginnings of the Stahl house go back to May 1954, when the initial owners acquired a mountainous parcel of land in the at the time undeveloped Hollywood Hills area for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house growing into a famous representation of the city, the owners often pointed out that "no celebrities ever lived here," describing themselves as a "working-class family living in a luxury house."

Design Feat

The original design for the Stahl house was developed during the summer months of 1956. However, many builders were initially hesitant to erect it on the difficult hillside.

In November 1957, the owners met with architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to undertake the task. With support from the prominent Case Study program, pioneered by a prominent magazine editor, the Stahls received support to commission Koenig.

The contemporary program "focused on trial and error" and "using new materials and building in sites that maybe before the engineering didn’t really permit," remarked an authority from a city conservancy. "Each of these factors are wrapped up 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 considered, at the time, was not feasible."

Completion and Famous Legacy

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and work started in May 1959. According to the owners, construction totaled "just $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The result was "a perfect representation of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the expert added.

Soon after construction was finished, a celebrated architectural photographer shot what is possibly the most famous photograph of the home. Captured through the full-length glass windows, the photograph shows two women positioned in the home’s living room but appearing to float over the LA skyline.

"I believe the long-standing effect of the photo is due to the way it communicates an idea about residing in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both urban and separate from it," stated a founder of an architectural practice and lecturer at a prominent university.

Historic Recognition

The home has enjoyed memorable cameos in cinema, TV and videos, including several popular 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.

Coming Stewardship

The home is still open for visits, as it has been for the last 17 years, although all tours are currently reserved through February. In their announcement regarding the sale, the family indicated they would give "plenty of advance notice" before stopping the tours.

The sales details for the home stresses finding a buyer who will maintain the spirit of the space.

"For collectors of architecture, supporters of building, or organizations seeking to safeguard an national treasure, there is simply no equal," the listing say. "This is not merely a transaction; it is a passing of responsibility – a search for the next custodian who will respect the house’s history, respect its architectural purity, and ensure its protection for future generations."

The authority agreed that the choice of purchaser would be a critical one, given the home’s legacy.

"In my view any time a long-term steward, and a stewardship like this, is changing ownership of a residence 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 comprehend and cherish the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"