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

This overhanging dwelling, perched in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, hit the real estate market this week. The listing price stands at an impressive $25 million.

Family Move to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have owned the residence for its full 65-year timeline, shared a statement regarding their resolution to sell. They expressed that the property had grown increasingly challenging to upkeep.

"This home has been the core of our lives for decades, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become progressively harder to look after it with the dedication and energy it so truly merits," wrote the children of the original owners.

They further stated that the moment had emerged to find a new "steward" for the house – "an individual who not only recognizes its design legacy but also understands its place in the cultural landscape of LA and further afield."

Humble Beginnings

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

Despite the Stahl house growing into a famous icon of the city, the residents often stressed that "nobody famous ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "average family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Construction Feat

The initial design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer months of 1956. However, many designers were originally hesitant to erect it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the family met with architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to take on the challenge. With backing from the prominent Case Study program, led by a prominent magazine editor, the owners received subsidies to engage Koenig.

The contemporary program "focused on innovation" and "using new building materials and erecting in locations that maybe earlier the engineering didn’t really permit," stated an authority from a regional conservancy. "Each of these factors are integrated into a site like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, contemporary and inconceivable in terms of how it was built on that plot that everyone else thought, at the time, was impossible to build."

Finalization and Iconic Legacy

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and construction started in May 1959. According to the family, construction amounted to "only $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The result was "an idealized version of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the expert commented.

Soon after completion, a famous architectural photographer captured what is arguably the most well-known image of the home. Taken through the enormous glass windows, the image depicts two women sitting in the home’s living room but appearing to hover over the Los Angeles skyline.

"In my opinion the enduring influence of the photo is due to the way it expresses an notion about dwelling in Los Angeles, an duality about being both in the city and detached from it," said a principal of an architectural firm and lecturer at a major university.

Historic Designation

The home has made notable features in movies, television and music videos, 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.

Future Ownership

The home continues to be open for visits, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all tours are currently reserved through February. In their release announcing the sale, the family stated they would give "sufficient warning" before stopping the tours.

The sales details for the home emphasizes finding a new owner who will preserve the character of the space.

"For collectors of style, patrons of architecture, or entities seeking to safeguard an national treasure, there is simply nothing comparable," the details state. "This is not merely a purchase; it is a transfer of stewardship – a hunt for the next steward who will celebrate the house’s past, value its design integrity, and guarantee its preservation for posterity."

The specialist agreed that the selection of purchaser would be a critical one, given the home’s history.

"I believe any time a original family, and a guardianship like this, is being sold of a residence like this, it always gives us a little bit of a concern – because you never know what the next owner, what their aims will be. And can they grasp and value the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"