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The renowned Stahl house, a paragon of mid-century modern design, is now available for the very first time in its whole history.

This overhanging home, perched in the Hollywood Hills, hit the real estate market this recent week. The asking price stands at an impressive $25 million.

Stewards Decision to Part With

The Stahl family, who have owned the home for its complete 65-year existence, released a statement regarding their decision to sell. They expressed that the house had proven too difficult to maintain.

"This home has been the heart of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve aged, it has become progressively harder to look after it with the dedication and energy it so richly deserves," wrote the children of the first owners.

They added that the time had arrived to find a new "steward" for the house – "a person who not only appreciates its architectural significance but also comprehends its place in the cultural landscape of Los Angeles and further afield."

Modest Origins

The beginnings of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the original owners bought a mountainous parcel of land in the previously undeveloped Hollywood Hills area for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house becoming a well-known icon of the city, the residents often emphasized that "no celebrities ever lived here," describing themselves as a "average family living in a white-collar house."

Architectural Challenge

The first design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer of 1956. However, many architects were initially hesitant to build it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the family consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to undertake the project. With backing from the prominent Case Study program, pioneered by a leading magazine editor, the Stahls received subsidies to commission Koenig.

The contemporary program "centered around experimentation" and "utilizing new materials and constructing in locations that maybe earlier the engineering didn’t really allow," commented an authority from a regional preservation society. "All these elements are integrated into a place like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, modern and unimaginable in terms of how it was built on that plot that everyone else considered, at the time, was impossible to build."

Finalization and Cultural Impact

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and construction started in May 1959. According to the family, construction amounted to "only $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The final product was "a perfect representation of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the specialist noted.

Soon after construction was finished, a renowned architectural photographer took what is arguably the most well-known image of the home. Taken through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photograph shows two women positioned in the home’s living room but appearing to levitate over the Los Angeles skyline.

"In my opinion the enduring effect of this photo is due to the way it communicates an notion about dwelling in Los Angeles, an duality about being both in the city and separate from it," said a founder of an architectural company and lecturer at a major university.

Cultural Designation

The home has made notable cameos in movies, broadcast and promos, including several well-known titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city declared the Stahl house a heritage site, and in 2013, the house was listed as a preserved site on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coming Ownership

The home is still open for public viewings, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all appointments are currently sold out through February. In their announcement regarding the sale, the family indicated they would give "sufficient warning" before ending the tours.

The listing for the home emphasizes finding a buyer who will maintain the essence of the space.

"For connoisseurs of architecture, patrons of building, or organizations seeking to preserve an American masterpiece, there is simply no parallel," the listing read. "This goes beyond a sale; it is a transfer of stewardship – a quest for the next custodian who will celebrate the house’s past, appreciate its design integrity, and secure its conservation for posterity."

The authority agreed that the decision of buyer would be a crucial one, given the home’s legacy.

"I think any time a original family, and a stewardship like this, is being sold of a residence like this, it always gives us a little bit of a pause – because you never know what the next owner, what their aims will be. And do they understand and appreciate the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"