🔗 Share this article A Legendary Mid-20th Century Modern Jewel Hits the Market for the First Time The famous Stahl house, a epitome of modernist design, is currently listed for the initial occasion in its whole history. This overhanging home, perched in the Hollywood Hills, hit the market this week. The price tag stands at a notable $25 million. Owners Choice to Let Go The Stahl family, who have held title to the home for its full 65-year existence, shared a announcement regarding their choice to sell. They expressed that the property had proven excessively demanding to maintain. "This residence has been the center of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve grown older, it has become increasingly challenging to maintain it with the care and effort it so richly deserves," wrote the descendants of the initial owners. They further stated that the period had arrived to find a new "custodian" for the house – "someone who not only appreciates its architectural significance but also comprehends its role in the cultural history of Los Angeles and further afield." Humble Inception The beginnings of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the original owners purchased a hilly plot of land in the previously undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500. Despite the Stahl house becoming a renowned symbol of the city, the family often stressed that "no celebrities ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a architectural masterpiece." Architectural Undertaking The original design for the Stahl house was created during the warm season of 1956. However, many architects were at first reluctant to build it on the precarious hillside. In November 1957, the owners met with architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to take on the task. With support from the influential Case Study program, spearheaded by a prominent magazine editor, the Stahls received financial aid to engage Koenig. The progressive program "was about trial and error" and "employing new building materials and erecting in locations that maybe earlier the techniques didn’t really permit," commented an specialist from a regional heritage organization. "All these elements are wrapped up into a site like the Stahl house, which was innovative, modern and unimaginable in terms of how it was constructed on that location that everyone else believed, at the time, was not feasible." Completion and Cultural Influence The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and work began in May 1959. According to the owners, construction totaled "only $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The result was "an idealized version of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the expert commented. Soon after completion, a famous architectural photographer took what is possibly the most iconic photograph of the home. Taken through the enormous glass windows, the photo depicts two women positioned in the home’s living room but seeming to levitate over the LA skyline. "In my opinion the long-standing impact of the photo is due to the way it conveys an concept about residing in Los Angeles, an duality about being both in the city and separate from it," said a principal of an architectural firm and adjunct professor at a major university. Historic Recognition The home has had memorable features in cinema, TV and videos, including several well-known titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 1999, the city designated the Stahl house a protected monument, and in 2013, the house was listed as a preserved site on the National Register of Historic Places. Future Custodianship The home remains open for visits, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all appointments are currently reserved through February. In their announcement concerning the sale, the family said they would give "plenty of advance notice" before discontinuing the tours. The listing for the home highlights finding a new owner who will conserve the essence of the space. "For connoisseurs of architecture, advocates of architecture, or organizations seeking to safeguard an iconic work, there is simply no parallel," the details say. "This goes beyond a sale; it is a handover of custody – a search for the next guardian who will honor the house’s legacy, value its design integrity, and ensure its preservation for future generations." The expert agreed that the decision of new owner would be a crucial one, given the home’s past. "I think any time a longtime owner, and a stewardship like this, is changing ownership of a property like this, it always gives us a little bit of a concern – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their plans will be. And will they understand and cherish the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"