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The renowned Stahl house, a epitome of modernist design, is up for sale for the very first time in its whole history.

This cantilevered home, situated in the Hollywood Hills, was listed on the real estate market this week. The price tag stands at a substantial $25 million.

Owners Decision to Part With

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the property for its full 65-year timeline, shared a declaration regarding their decision to sell. They expressed that the house had proven too difficult to maintain.

"This house has been the center of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become more difficult to care for it with the dedication and energy it so rightfully warrants," commented the offspring of the original owners.

They added that the moment had come to find a new "guardian" for the house – "someone who not only values its architectural importance but also grasps its place in the cultural fabric of LA and beyond."

Unassuming Beginnings

The inception of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the initial owners purchased a hilly parcel of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills area for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house growing into a well-known symbol of the city, the residents often emphasized that "nobody famous ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "working-class family living in a white-collar house."

Architectural Challenge

The initial design for the Stahl house was developed during the warm season of 1956. However, many builders were at first reluctant to construct it on the challenging hillside.

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

The contemporary program "focused on innovation" and "using new building materials and building in places that maybe earlier the engineering didn’t really permit," remarked an authority from a city conservancy. "All these elements are wrapped up into a site like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, modern and unthinkable in terms of how it was constructed on that plot that everyone else thought, at the time, was impossible to build."

Realization and Iconic Impact

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and construction began in May 1959. According to the owners, construction amounted to "a mere $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The final product was "the ultimate vision of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the authority noted.

Soon after the build ended, a celebrated architectural photographer took what is perhaps the most well-known photograph of the home. Shot through the enormous glass windows, the image features two women seated in the home’s living room but appearing to float over the LA skyline.

"I believe the enduring impact of that photo is due to the way it conveys an notion about residing in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both metropolitan and removed from it," said a founder of an architectural firm and adjunct professor at a leading university.

Historic Designation

The home has made notable appearances in film, television and videos, including several well-known titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

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

Coming Stewardship

The home continues to be open for visits, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all tours are currently fully booked through February. In their release regarding the sale, the family stated they would give "plenty of advance notice" before discontinuing the tours.

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

"For collectors of architecture, advocates of architecture, or entities seeking to protect an iconic work, there is simply nothing comparable," the details state. "This is more than a sale; it is a passing of responsibility – a quest for the next steward who will honor the house’s past, appreciate its original vision, and guarantee its preservation for generations to come."

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

"I think any time a longtime owner, and a guardianship like this, is transferring hands of a property like this, it always gives us a little bit of a pause – because you never know what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And can they grasp and value the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"