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

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

Stewards Decision to Part With

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the home for its full 65-year timeline, shared a declaration regarding their choice to sell. They expressed that the house had proven increasingly challenging to upkeep.

"This residence has been the core of our lives for many years, but as we’ve grown older, it has become increasingly challenging to maintain it with the attention and vigor it so rightfully warrants," stated the children of the original owners.

They further stated that the time had emerged to find a new "steward" for the house – "an individual who not only recognizes its design legacy but also comprehends its role in the cultural fabric of the city and elsewhere."

Humble Origins

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

Despite the Stahl house becoming a famous icon of the city, the owners often emphasized that "no celebrities ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "working-class family living in a luxury house."

Construction Feat

The initial design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer months of 1956. However, many designers were at first reluctant to erect it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls met with architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to take on the challenge. With support from the influential Case Study program, led by a prominent magazine editor, the family received financial aid to engage Koenig.

The progressive program "was about experimentation" and "using new materials and building in sites that maybe before the techniques didn’t really allow," remarked an expert from a local conservancy. "All these elements are combined into a property like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, modern and unthinkable in terms of how it was built on that site that everyone else believed, at the time, was impossible to build."

Realization and Cultural Impact

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and construction commenced in May 1959. According to the residents, construction amounted to "a mere $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The outcome was "a perfect representation of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the specialist added.

Soon after construction was finished, a celebrated architectural photographer captured what is possibly the most well-known photograph of the home. Taken through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photograph depicts two women seated in the home’s living room but looking to hover over the city skyline.

"I think the long-standing influence of that photo is due to the way it communicates an notion about residing in Los Angeles, an duality about being both urban and detached from it," commented a head of an architectural company and educator at a major university.

Historic Recognition

The home has enjoyed notable cameos in film, television and promos, including several famous titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

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

Coming Ownership

The home is still open for public viewings, as it has been for the last 17 years, although all slots are currently reserved through February. In their release regarding the sale, the family indicated they would give "plenty of advance notice" before stopping the tours.

The property description for the home highlights finding a buyer who will maintain the character of the space.

"For collectors of style, supporters of building, or institutions seeking to safeguard an American masterpiece, there is simply no parallel," the details state. "This goes beyond a sale; it is a transfer of stewardship – a search for the next steward who will honor the house’s legacy, appreciate its design integrity, and guarantee its conservation for posterity."

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

"In my view any time a original family, and a custodianship like this, is transferring hands of a home like this, it always gives us a little bit of a concern – because you never know what the next owner, what their plans will be. And will they understand and appreciate the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"