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The renowned Stahl house, a quintessential example of modernist architectural design, is now available for the very first time in its complete history.

This overhanging residence, perched in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, was listed on the listings this week. The listing price stands at a substantial $25 million.

Family Move to Part With

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the home for its full 65-year timeline, issued a announcement regarding their choice to sell. They expressed that the property had become excessively demanding to upkeep.

"This home has been the center of our lives for many years, but as we’ve grown older, it has become more difficult to care for it with the dedication and effort it so rightfully warrants," stated the descendants of the initial owners.

They continued that the period had emerged to find a new "guardian" for the house – "a person who not only recognizes its design legacy but also comprehends its role in the cultural landscape of LA and beyond."

Humble Inception

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

Despite the Stahl house growing into a well-known representation of the city, the owners often stressed that "no celebrities 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 conceived during the warm season of 1956. However, many architects were at first hesitant to build it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the owners consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to take on the task. With backing from the prominent Case Study program, spearheaded by a leading magazine editor, the owners received support to engage Koenig.

The progressive program "centered around experimentation" and "employing new resources and building in places that maybe earlier the techniques didn’t really allow," stated an authority from a city preservation society. "All those things are wrapped up into a place 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 Cultural Influence

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and building started in May 1959. According to the owners, construction totaled "just $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The result was "the ultimate vision of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the specialist added.

Soon after construction was finished, a renowned architectural photographer took what is possibly the most iconic photograph of the home. Taken through the enormous glass windows, the photograph features two women positioned in the home’s living room but looking to float over the Los Angeles skyline.

"I believe the enduring effect of the image is due to the way it communicates an concept about dwelling in Los Angeles, an duality about being both urban and removed from it," stated a principal of an architectural firm and educator at a prominent university.

Cultural Designation

The home has made historic features in film, television and music videos, including several popular 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 included as a protected property on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Custodianship

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

The sales details for the home stresses finding a buyer who will conserve the spirit of the space.

"For collectors of architecture, patrons of building, or institutions seeking to preserve an American masterpiece, there is simply no parallel," the description say. "This goes beyond a sale; it is a handover of custody – a search for the next custodian who will honor the house’s history, respect its architectural purity, and guarantee its preservation for posterity."

The expert concurred that the selection of purchaser would be a vital one, given the home’s history.

"In my view any time a long-term steward, and a guardianship like this, is changing ownership of a residence like this, it always gives us a little bit of a pause – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their plans will be. And do they comprehend and cherish the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"