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The renowned Stahl house, a quintessential example of midcentury modern architectural design, is up for sale for the initial occasion in its whole history.

This suspended home, perched in the Hollywood Hills area, hit the real estate market this past week. The price tag stands at a substantial $25 million.

Stewards Choice to Part With

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

"This residence has been the core of our lives for many years, but as we’ve aged, it has become increasingly challenging to maintain it with the care and energy it so richly deserves," stated the offspring of the original owners.

They added that the moment had come to find a new "steward" for the house – "a person who not only appreciates its architectural importance but also grasps its role in the cultural landscape of Los Angeles and further afield."

Unassuming Beginnings

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

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a well-known icon of the city, the residents often emphasized that "nobody famous ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Architectural Undertaking

The original design for the Stahl house was conceived during the warm season of 1956. However, many builders were initially hesitant to erect it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to undertake the project. With support from the notable Case Study program, spearheaded by a key magazine editor, the family received subsidies to commission Koenig.

The modernist program "focused on experimentation" and "employing new materials and building in sites that maybe previously the engineering didn’t really allow," stated an expert from a regional preservation society. "Each of these factors are integrated into a site like the Stahl house, which was innovative, progressive and unimaginable in terms of how it was erected on that plot that everyone else thought, at the time, was impossible to build."

Completion and Cultural Impact

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and building started in May 1959. According to the owners, construction totaled "a mere $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The result was "an idealized version of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the authority noted.

Soon after the build ended, a celebrated architectural photographer captured what is possibly the most famous image of the home. Captured through the full-length glass windows, the photo features two women seated in the home’s living room but looking to levitate over the LA skyline.

"In my opinion the lasting effect of this photo is due to the way it expresses an idea about residing in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both urban and detached from it," commented a head of an architectural company and adjunct professor at a leading university.

Protected Designation

The home has made memorable features in cinema, television and promos, including several famous titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city declared the Stahl house a historic-cultural landmark, and in 2013, the house was added as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Stewardship

The home remains open for visits, as it has been for the last 17 years, although all slots are currently sold out through February. In their statement announcing the sale, the family indicated they would give "sufficient warning" before stopping the tours.

The property description for the home stresses finding a new owner who will conserve the essence of the space.

"For enthusiasts of style, supporters of architecture, or organizations seeking to safeguard an iconic work, there is simply nothing comparable," the description say. "This is more than a sale; it is a transfer of stewardship – a quest for the next steward who will celebrate the house’s legacy, appreciate its original vision, and secure its conservation for generations to come."

The expert affirmed that the decision of new owner would be a critical one, given the home’s past.

"In my view any time a longtime owner, and a stewardship like this, is being sold of a residence like this, it always gives us a little bit of a concern – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And can they understand and value the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"