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

This overhanging residence, nestled in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, was listed on the listings this past week. The price tag stands at a substantial $25 million.

Stewards Choice to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the property for its complete 65-year timeline, issued a declaration regarding their choice to sell. They stated that the property had proven increasingly challenging to care for.

"This residence has been the center of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve aged, it has become progressively harder to look after it with the care and vigor it so truly merits," wrote the offspring of the original owners.

They added that the period had arrived to find a new "steward" for the house – "a person who not only values its architectural importance but also comprehends its position in the cultural landscape of LA and beyond."

Unassuming Beginnings

The origins of the Stahl house trace back to May 1954, when the first owners acquired a hilly patch of land in the at the time undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house growing into a well-known symbol of the city, the owners often stressed that "nobody famous ever lived here," describing themselves as a "working-class family living in a white-collar house."

Design Undertaking

The first design for the Stahl house was created during the summer of 1956. However, many builders were at first reluctant to construct it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the family consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to accept the challenge. With assistance from the notable Case Study program, led by a prominent magazine editor, the family received support to hire Koenig.

The progressive program "was about innovation" and "employing new building materials and erecting in locations that maybe before the technology didn’t really allow," commented an specialist from a regional preservation society. "All those things are combined into a place like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, progressive and unimaginable in terms of how it was erected on that plot that everyone else thought, at the time, was impossible to build."

Realization and Iconic Legacy

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

Soon after construction was finished, a famous architectural photographer shot what is perhaps the most well-known picture of the home. Taken through the enormous glass windows, the photo shows two women positioned in the home’s living room but appearing to float over the LA skyline.

"In my opinion the lasting impact of this image is due to the way it conveys an concept about dwelling in Los Angeles, an duality about being both metropolitan and separate from it," commented a principal of an architectural company and adjunct professor at a leading university.

Protected Designation

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

In 1999, the city declared the Stahl house a protected monument, and in 2013, the house was listed as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Future Ownership

The home continues to be open for tours, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all appointments are currently reserved through February. In their statement regarding the sale, the family stated they would give "ample notice" before stopping the tours.

The listing for the home stresses finding a buyer who will conserve the spirit of the space.

"For enthusiasts of architecture, supporters of building, or entities seeking to preserve an national treasure, there is simply no parallel," the details say. "This is not merely a purchase; it is a handover of custody – a search for the next custodian who will honor the house’s legacy, respect its architectural purity, and ensure its preservation for posterity."

The specialist affirmed that the selection of new owner would be a critical one, given the home’s legacy.

"In my view any time a original family, and a guardianship like this, is changing ownership of a property like this, it always causes a little bit of a pause – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And will they understand and value the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"