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

This cantilevered residence, nestled in the Hollywood Hills, was listed on the listings this week. The price tag stands at an impressive $25 million.

Owners Choice to Sell

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

"This residence has been the core of our lives for decades, but as we’ve grown older, it has become increasingly challenging to maintain it with the attention and energy it so truly merits," wrote the offspring of the original owners.

They continued that the time had arrived to find a new "steward" for the house – "an individual who not only values its design legacy but also understands its position in the cultural history of LA and further afield."

Humble Beginnings

The inception of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the first owners purchased a sloped patch of land in the previously undeveloped Hollywood Hills district for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house becoming a renowned icon of the city, the owners often pointed out that "nobody famous ever lived here," describing themselves as a "average family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Design Undertaking

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

In November 1957, the Stahls interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to undertake the challenge. With support from the notable Case Study program, pioneered by a leading magazine editor, the owners received subsidies to hire Koenig.

The modernist program "focused on innovation" and "utilizing new resources and building in locations that maybe previously the techniques didn’t really enable," stated an expert from a regional conservancy. "All those things are integrated into a site like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, progressive and inconceivable in terms of how it was erected on that plot that everyone else considered, at the time, was impossible to build."

Finalization and Famous Legacy

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and building started in May 1959. According to the family, construction amounted to "just $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The result was "a perfect representation of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the specialist commented.

Soon after completion, a famous architectural photographer shot what is possibly the most well-known image of the home. Taken through the full-length glass windows, the photo shows two women sitting in the home’s living room but looking to float over the LA skyline.

"In my opinion the long-standing impact of that image is due to the way it expresses an notion about dwelling in Los Angeles, an duality about being both metropolitan and detached from it," commented a head of an architectural practice and lecturer at a prominent university.

Protected Recognition

The home has enjoyed memorable appearances in film, TV and music videos, including several well-known titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city recognized the Stahl house a protected monument, and in 2013, the house was added as a preserved site on the National Register of Historic Places.

Future Stewardship

The home remains open for tours, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all appointments are currently fully booked through February. In their release regarding the sale, the family said they would give "plenty of advance notice" before ending the tours.

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

"For connoisseurs of design, supporters of design, or institutions seeking to protect an national treasure, there is simply no parallel," the listing say. "This is not merely a transaction; it is a passing of responsibility – a search for the next steward who will celebrate the house’s past, appreciate its original vision, and ensure its conservation for future generations."

The authority agreed that the selection of new owner would be a vital one, given the home’s legacy.

"I believe any time a longtime owner, and a guardianship like this, is changing ownership of a property like this, it always gives us a little bit of a pause – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their aims will be. And can they grasp and value the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"