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The famous Stahl house, a quintessential example of modernist design, is now available for the initial occasion in its whole history.

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

Stewards Decision to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have owned the home for its entire 65-year timeline, released a announcement regarding their resolution to sell. They noted that the house had become increasingly challenging to care for.

"This residence has been the heart of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become increasingly challenging to care for it with the care and energy it so rightfully warrants," commented the children of the initial owners.

They added that the period had come to find a new "steward" for the house – "an individual who not only appreciates its architectural importance but also grasps its place in the cultural landscape of LA and beyond."

Humble Inception

The beginnings of the Stahl house trace back to May 1954, when the first owners acquired a mountainous plot of land in the at the time undeveloped Hollywood Hills area for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house growing into a renowned icon of the city, the residents often pointed out that "no famous individuals ever lived here," describing themselves as a "working-class family living in a white-collar house."

Construction Feat

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

In November 1957, the owners interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to accept the project. With assistance from the influential Case Study program, led by a prominent magazine editor, the Stahls received support to hire Koenig.

The modernist program "centered around innovation" and "using new resources and erecting in locations that maybe before the technology didn’t really allow," commented an expert from a regional conservancy. "All those things are wrapped up into a property like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, modern and inconceivable in terms of how it was built on that location that everyone else considered, at the time, was impossible to build."

Completion and Famous Legacy

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and construction began in May 1959. According to the residents, construction cost "a mere $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The result was "a perfect representation of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the authority commented.

Soon after construction was finished, a celebrated architectural photographer took what is possibly the most famous picture of the home. Captured through the enormous glass windows, the photo features two women sitting in the home’s living room but appearing to levitate over the city skyline.

"I believe the long-standing influence of this photograph is due to the way it expresses an concept about living in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both in the city and separate from it," said a head of an architectural company and educator at a major university.

Historic Status

The home has made memorable appearances in movies, broadcast and promos, 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 listed as a protected property on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Stewardship

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

The property description for the home stresses finding a purchaser who will preserve the spirit of the space.

"For enthusiasts of design, patrons of design, or institutions seeking to preserve an national treasure, there is simply no equal," the listing say. "This is more than a transaction; it is a transfer of stewardship – a hunt for the next steward who will honor the house’s past, value its design integrity, and guarantee its conservation for posterity."

The expert agreed that the decision 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 being sold of a home like this, it always creates a little bit of a concern – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their aims will be. And will they understand and cherish the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"