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The famous Stahl house, a paragon of modernist architecture, is now available for the initial occasion in its complete history.

This overhanging home, perched in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, was listed on the market this week. The price tag stands at a notable $25 million.

Family Move to Part With

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

"This home has been the core of our lives for many years, but as we’ve aged, it has become increasingly challenging to maintain it with the attention and energy it so richly deserves," wrote the offspring of the original owners.

They continued that the time had arrived to find a new "steward" for the house – "a person who not only values its architectural importance but also grasps its place in the cultural fabric of Los Angeles and further afield."

Unassuming Beginnings

The origins of the Stahl house go back to May 1954, when the initial owners bought a sloped parcel of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills district for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house growing into a famous icon of the city, the family often emphasized that "nobody famous ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "average family living in a white-collar house."

Construction Undertaking

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

In November 1957, the owners interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to undertake the project. With backing from the influential Case Study program, spearheaded by a leading magazine editor, the Stahls received support to hire Koenig.

The progressive program "focused on trial and error" and "using new building materials and erecting in sites that maybe previously the technology didn’t really permit," remarked an specialist from a regional conservancy. "All those things are integrated into a property like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, modern and unthinkable in terms of how it was erected on that site that everyone else considered, at the time, was impossible to build."

Completion and Cultural Impact

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and work began in May 1959. According to the owners, construction amounted to "only $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The outcome was "an idealized version of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the authority noted.

Soon after construction was finished, a renowned architectural photographer shot what is arguably the most famous picture of the home. Captured through the full-length glass windows, the photograph depicts two women sitting in the home’s living room but appearing to levitate over the Los Angeles skyline.

"I think the long-standing effect of that photo is due to the way it conveys an notion about residing in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both urban and detached from it," said a founder of an architectural company and educator at a major university.

Cultural Status

The home has enjoyed memorable features in movies, TV and promos, 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 conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Custodianship

The home continues to be open for tours, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all appointments are currently fully booked through February. In their announcement announcing the sale, the family indicated they would give "sufficient warning" before ending the tours.

The listing for the home highlights finding a buyer who will maintain the spirit of the space.

"For enthusiasts of style, patrons of building, or institutions seeking to preserve an iconic work, there is simply nothing comparable," the listing state. "This is not merely a purchase; it is a transfer of stewardship – a search for the next custodian who will respect the house’s history, respect its design integrity, and secure its conservation for future generations."

The expert affirmed 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 being sold of a residence like this, it always gives us a little bit of a pause – because you never know what the next owner, what their aims will be. And do they grasp and appreciate the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"