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The celebrated Stahl house, a epitome of midcentury modern design, is currently listed for the very first time in its entire history.

This overhanging dwelling, nestled in the Hollywood Hills area, was listed on the real estate market this past week. The listing price stands at an impressive $25 million.

Family Decision to Part With

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the residence for its full 65-year timeline, shared a announcement regarding their resolution to sell. They noted that the property had become excessively demanding to care for.

"This home has been the core of our lives for decades, but as we’ve grown older, it has become more difficult to look after it with the dedication and effort it so truly merits," commented the children of the original owners.

They continued that the period had arrived to find a new "custodian" for the house – "an individual who not only recognizes its design legacy but also understands its place in the cultural fabric of Los Angeles and beyond."

Modest Inception

The origins of the Stahl house go back to May 1954, when the original owners acquired a sloped patch of land in the at the time undeveloped Hollywood Hills district for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house becoming a renowned symbol of the city, the family often pointed out that "no famous individuals ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "working-class family living in a luxury house."

Construction Challenge

The first design for the Stahl house was developed during the summer months of 1956. However, many builders were originally reluctant to build it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the family interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to undertake the project. With backing from the notable Case Study program, spearheaded by a prominent magazine editor, the Stahls received subsidies to commission Koenig.

The modernist program "centered around trial and error" and "employing new building materials and erecting in locations that maybe earlier the engineering didn’t really permit," remarked an specialist from a regional preservation society. "All these elements are integrated into a property like the Stahl house, which was innovative, contemporary and inconceivable in terms of how it was erected on that location that everyone else believed, at the time, was not feasible."

Completion and Cultural Legacy

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and work began in May 1959. According to the family, construction totaled "just $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The final product was "the ultimate vision of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the specialist added.

Soon after completion, a celebrated architectural photographer shot what is arguably the most famous photograph of the home. Taken through the full-length glass windows, the photograph depicts two women seated in the home’s living room but seeming to float over the Los Angeles skyline.

"In my opinion the enduring impact of the image is due to the way it expresses an idea about living in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both urban and detached from it," commented a founder of an architectural firm and lecturer at a prominent university.

Historic Designation

The home has made memorable features in movies, broadcast and videos, including several well-known titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

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

Next Ownership

The home continues to be open for public viewings, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all slots are currently fully booked through February. In their release regarding the sale, the family indicated they would give "ample notice" before ending the tours.

The listing for the home stresses finding a buyer who will conserve the character of the space.

"For enthusiasts of style, advocates of architecture, or institutions seeking to preserve an iconic work, there is simply no parallel," the description state. "This is not merely a purchase; it is a transfer of stewardship – a quest for the next guardian who will celebrate the house’s history, value its design integrity, and guarantee its conservation for posterity."

The expert concurred that the choice of new owner would be a crucial one, given the home’s legacy.

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