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The celebrated Stahl house, a epitome of mid-century modern design, is currently listed for the initial occasion in its complete history.

This cantilevered residence, nestled in the Hollywood Hills, hit the real estate market this recent week. The price tag stands at an impressive $25 million.

Family Decision to Part With

The Stahl family, who have held title to the home for its entire 65-year existence, released a declaration regarding their choice to sell. They expressed that the dwelling had grown too difficult to upkeep.

"This house has been the center of our lives for many years, but as we’ve grown older, it has become increasingly challenging to care for it with the care and effort it so richly deserves," stated the children of the original owners.

They continued that the period had come to find a new "steward" for the house – "a person who not only appreciates its design legacy but also understands its place in the cultural landscape of the city and further afield."

Modest Beginnings

The origins of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the original owners acquired a hilly parcel of land in the previously undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house growing into a renowned icon of the city, the family often stressed that "no famous individuals ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "working-class family living in a luxury house."

Architectural Undertaking

The initial design for the Stahl house was created during the summer of 1956. However, many designers were at first wary to build it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls met with architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to accept the project. With support from the notable Case Study program, led by a leading magazine editor, the owners received subsidies to commission Koenig.

The modernist program "was about innovation" and "using new building materials and building in sites that maybe before the techniques didn’t really permit," remarked an expert from a city 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 built on that plot that everyone else considered, at the time, was not feasible."

Realization and Iconic Influence

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and construction commenced in May 1959. According to the residents, construction cost "only $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The final product was "an idealized version of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the expert commented.

Soon after the build ended, a famous architectural photographer captured what is arguably the most famous image of the home. Taken through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photograph depicts two women sitting in the home’s living room but seeming to hover over the city skyline.

"I think the lasting impact of the photograph is due to the way it expresses an notion about residing in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both metropolitan and detached from it," commented a principal of an architectural practice and adjunct professor at a prominent university.

Protected Designation

The home has had historic features in movies, TV and promos, including several famous titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

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

Coming Custodianship

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

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

"For collectors of design, patrons of design, or organizations seeking to protect an American masterpiece, there is simply no parallel," the details read. "This is more than a sale; it is a passing of responsibility – a search for the next custodian who will honor the house’s history, value its architectural purity, and ensure its protection for posterity."

The expert concurred that the choice of purchaser would be a critical one, given the home’s legacy.

"In my view any time a longtime owner, and a stewardship like this, is transferring hands of a property like this, it always gives us a little bit of a hesitation – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And do they understand and value the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"