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The famous Stahl house, a quintessential example of midcentury modern architecture, is currently listed for the first time in its complete history.

This suspended residence, perched in the Hollywood Hills area, hit the real estate market this recent week. The asking price stands at a notable $25 million.

Family Move to Sell

The Stahl family, who have held title to the property for its full 65-year history, shared a declaration regarding their choice to sell. They expressed that the house had grown excessively demanding to care for.

"This house has been the center of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become increasingly challenging to maintain it with the care and effort it so rightfully warrants," commented the children of the original owners.

They added that the period had arrived to find a new "custodian" for the house – "someone who not only appreciates its design legacy 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 first owners bought a mountainous plot of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills district for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house growing into a well-known icon of the city, the owners often stressed that "no celebrities ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "average family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Construction Challenge

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

In November 1957, the Stahls interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to accept the challenge. With backing from the prominent Case Study program, pioneered by a key magazine editor, the family received subsidies to engage Koenig.

The contemporary program "centered around innovation" and "employing new building materials and constructing in locations that maybe earlier the techniques didn’t really allow," commented an specialist from a city heritage organization. "All those things are combined into a place like the Stahl house, which was innovative, contemporary and inconceivable in terms of how it was built on that location that everyone else thought, at the time, was unbuildable."

Finalization and Cultural Influence

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and construction began in May 1959. According to the owners, construction cost "a mere $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The outcome was "the ultimate vision of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the specialist added.

Soon after the build ended, a celebrated architectural photographer shot what is perhaps the most famous image of the home. Captured through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photo depicts two women sitting in the home’s living room but seeming to float over the city skyline.

"I think the long-standing influence of that image is due to the way it conveys an concept about residing in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both urban and removed from it," stated a founder of an architectural firm and lecturer at a major university.

Protected Recognition

The home has made notable features in cinema, broadcast and videos, including several popular titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city recognized the Stahl house a protected monument, and in 2013, the house was added as a preserved site on the National Register of Historic Places.

Future Stewardship

The home remains open for visits, as it has been for the last 17 years, although all appointments are currently fully booked through February. In their statement concerning the sale, the family said they would give "ample notice" before discontinuing the tours.

The property description for the home emphasizes finding a new owner who will maintain the spirit of the space.

"For collectors of design, supporters of design, or institutions seeking to protect an American masterpiece, there is simply no equal," the description say. "This is more than a transaction; it is a handover of custody – a hunt for the next steward who will celebrate the house’s history, appreciate its design integrity, and secure its protection for future generations."

The authority concurred that the decision of purchaser would be a vital one, given the home’s legacy.

"I believe any time a original family, and a stewardship like this, is being sold of a home like this, it always gives us a little bit of a pause – because you never know what the next owner, what their plans will be. And will they grasp and value the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"