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

This suspended residence, situated in the Hollywood Hills area, appeared on the market this past week. The listing price stands at an impressive $25 million.

Owners Move to Part With

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the residence for its entire 65-year existence, shared a declaration regarding their resolution to sell. They stated that the house had proven increasingly challenging to care for.

"This residence has been the heart of our lives for decades, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become increasingly challenging to maintain it with the dedication and vigor it so richly deserves," stated the offspring of the original owners.

They continued that the moment had emerged to find a new "guardian" for the house – "a person who not only recognizes its design legacy but also grasps its role in the cultural fabric of Los Angeles and elsewhere."

Modest Origins

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

Despite the Stahl house becoming a famous icon of the city, the owners often stressed that "nobody famous ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "working-class family living in a white-collar house."

Design Challenge

The initial design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer of 1956. However, many architects were originally reluctant to construct it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the owners met with architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to undertake the project. With support from the influential Case Study program, spearheaded by a prominent magazine editor, the family received support to engage Koenig.

The progressive program "was about trial and error" and "using new building materials and building in locations that maybe earlier the technology didn’t really enable," commented an specialist from a local heritage organization. "All these elements are integrated into a property like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, modern and unimaginable in terms of how it was built on that location that everyone else believed, at the time, was unbuildable."

Realization and Famous Influence

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and building began in May 1959. According to the owners, construction cost "a mere $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The outcome was "a perfect representation of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the expert noted.

Soon after the build ended, a renowned architectural photographer shot what is perhaps the most famous picture of the home. Shot through the full-length glass windows, the photograph depicts two women seated in the home’s living room but appearing to hover over the LA skyline.

"I believe the enduring influence of the photo is due to the way it conveys an concept about living in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both urban and detached from it," said a founder of an architectural firm and educator at a major university.

Cultural Recognition

The home has had memorable cameos in film, TV and videos, including several popular titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city designated the Stahl house a heritage site, and in 2013, the house was added as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coming Stewardship

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

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

"For enthusiasts of architecture, advocates of design, or institutions seeking to preserve an iconic work, there is simply nothing comparable," the details say. "This is more than a sale; it is a transfer of stewardship – a search for the next steward who will respect the house’s past, respect its original vision, and guarantee its preservation for future generations."

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

"In my view any time a original family, and a custodianship like this, is changing ownership of a residence like this, it always creates a little bit of a hesitation – because you never know what the next owner, what their aims will be. And do they comprehend and appreciate the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"