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

This cantilevered home, situated in the Hollywood Hills area, appeared on the market this past week. The price tag stands at a notable $25 million.

Owners Decision to Sell

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the home for its full 65-year existence, issued a declaration regarding their resolution to sell. They noted that the property had become excessively demanding to maintain.

"This home has been the heart of our lives for decades, but as we’ve aged, it has become more difficult to care for it with the care and effort it so rightfully warrants," stated the offspring of the initial owners.

They added that the period had arrived to find a new "custodian" for the house – "an individual who not only appreciates its design legacy but also grasps its role in the cultural fabric of the city and further afield."

Unassuming Inception

The origins of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the initial owners acquired a hilly plot of land in the previously undeveloped Hollywood Hills area for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house growing into a renowned representation of the city, the family often stressed that "no celebrities ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "average family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Construction Feat

The initial design for the Stahl house was created during the warm season of 1956. However, many designers were at first reluctant to construct it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the owners met with architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to undertake the challenge. With assistance from the notable Case Study program, led by a prominent magazine editor, the family received subsidies to commission Koenig.

The modernist program "focused on innovation" and "employing new materials and constructing in sites that maybe before the techniques didn’t really enable," stated an specialist from a local conservancy. "Each of these factors are wrapped up into a site like the Stahl house, which was innovative, modern and inconceivable in terms of how it was constructed on that plot that everyone else believed, at the time, was not feasible."

Completion and Cultural Legacy

The Stahl house was assigned 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 final product was "the ultimate vision of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the expert added.

Soon after the build ended, a famous architectural photographer shot what is possibly the most well-known photograph of the home. Shot through the enormous glass windows, the image features two women positioned in the home’s living room but looking to levitate over the LA skyline.

"I think the long-standing impact of this photograph is due to the way it conveys an concept about dwelling in Los Angeles, an duality about being both in the city and detached from it," commented a principal of an architectural practice and adjunct professor at a leading university.

Historic Designation

The home has had memorable cameos in cinema, television and videos, including several popular 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 added as a protected property on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Custodianship

The home remains open for public viewings, as it has been for the last 17 years, although all slots are currently reserved through February. In their release concerning the sale, the family stated they would give "plenty of advance notice" before ending the tours.

The listing for the home highlights finding a new owner who will maintain the spirit of the space.

"For enthusiasts of style, patrons of design, or organizations seeking to safeguard an national treasure, there is simply nothing comparable," the listing state. "This goes beyond a purchase; it is a handover of custody – a quest for the next guardian who will honor the house’s history, value its architectural purity, and guarantee its protection for future generations."

The authority agreed that the selection of purchaser would be a critical one, given the home’s history.

"I think any time a original family, and a guardianship like this, is changing ownership of a residence like this, it always causes a little bit of a concern – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And will they grasp and appreciate the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"