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The famous Stahl house, a paragon of midcentury modern architecture, is up for sale for the first time in its complete history.

This suspended home, nestled in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, was listed on the real estate market this past week. The price tag stands at an impressive $25 million.

Owners Decision to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have owned the property for its full 65-year timeline, released a statement regarding their choice to sell. They expressed that the dwelling had become increasingly challenging to upkeep.

"This house has been the center of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve aged, it has become more difficult to maintain it with the attention and vigor it so truly merits," stated the children of the initial owners.

They further stated that the moment had come to find a new "custodian" for the house – "a person who not only values its architectural importance but also comprehends its role in the cultural landscape of LA and elsewhere."

Modest Beginnings

The inception of the Stahl house trace back to May 1954, when the original owners bought a hilly parcel of land in the previously undeveloped Hollywood Hills district for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a well-known symbol of the city, the residents often pointed out that "nobody famous ever lived here," describing themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a white-collar house."

Architectural Undertaking

The initial design for the Stahl house was created during the warm season of 1956. However, many builders were initially reluctant to build it on the difficult hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls met with architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to undertake the challenge. With backing from the notable Case Study program, spearheaded by a leading magazine editor, the owners received support to commission Koenig.

The progressive program "centered around trial and error" and "using new building materials and erecting in sites that maybe earlier the technology didn’t really enable," commented an expert from a local conservancy. "All these elements are wrapped up into a place like the Stahl house, which was innovative, modern and unthinkable in terms of how it was erected on that plot that everyone else considered, at the time, was unbuildable."

Completion and Famous Impact

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and construction commenced in May 1959. According to the residents, construction totaled "only $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The final product was "the ultimate vision of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the expert commented.

Soon after completion, a celebrated architectural photographer took what is possibly the most well-known image of the home. Captured through the enormous glass windows, the photo shows two women positioned in the home’s living room but seeming to hover over the Los Angeles skyline.

"I think the lasting impact of the photo is due to the way it communicates an idea about dwelling in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both urban and detached from it," commented a founder of an architectural firm and lecturer at a leading university.

Protected Status

The home has enjoyed memorable features in cinema, TV and promos, including several famous 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 included as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coming Stewardship

The home remains open for visits, as it has been for the last 17 years, although all tours are currently reserved through February. In their release regarding the sale, the family stated they would give "sufficient warning" before discontinuing the tours.

The property description for the home highlights finding a buyer who will maintain the essence of the space.

"For connoisseurs of design, patrons of building, or organizations seeking to preserve an national treasure, there is simply no equal," the details say. "This goes beyond a transaction; it is a passing of responsibility – a search for the next guardian who will celebrate the house’s legacy, value its architectural purity, and secure its preservation for posterity."

The specialist concurred that the selection of buyer would be a crucial 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 never know what the next owner, what their aims will be. And can they grasp and cherish the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"