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The renowned Stahl house, a epitome of modernist architecture, 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 market this past week. The listing price stands at an impressive $25 million.

Owners Choice to Part With

The Stahl family, who have owned the residence for its complete 65-year timeline, issued a statement regarding their resolution to sell. They stated that the house had become excessively demanding to care for.

"This residence has been the core of our lives for decades, but as we’ve aged, it has become increasingly challenging to look after it with the attention and vigor it so richly deserves," wrote the children of the initial owners.

They continued that the time had arrived to find a new "steward" for the house – "someone who not only appreciates its architectural importance but also comprehends its position in the cultural landscape of the city and further afield."

Humble Origins

The beginnings of the Stahl house trace back to May 1954, when the original owners acquired a sloped patch of land in the at the time undeveloped Hollywood Hills district for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house growing into a famous icon of the city, the owners often pointed out that "no celebrities ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a white-collar house."

Architectural Challenge

The first design for the Stahl house was developed during the warm season of 1956. However, many designers were initially reluctant to build it on the difficult hillside.

In November 1957, the family met with architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to undertake the project. With backing from the influential Case Study program, led by a key magazine editor, the Stahls received financial aid to hire Koenig.

The contemporary program "focused on experimentation" and "using new resources and constructing in locations that maybe earlier the engineering didn’t really enable," remarked an expert from a local heritage organization. "Each of these factors are integrated into a place like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, contemporary and unimaginable in terms of how it was built on that location that everyone else believed, at the time, was not feasible."

Realization and Iconic Impact

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and building began in May 1959. According to the residents, construction amounted to "a mere $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The final product was "a perfect representation of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the specialist noted.

Soon after completion, a celebrated architectural photographer shot what is possibly the most famous picture of the home. Shot through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photo depicts two women seated in the home’s living room but appearing to hover over the LA skyline.

"I believe the enduring effect of the image is due to the way it communicates an idea about dwelling in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both in the city and removed from it," said a principal of an architectural firm and adjunct professor at a prominent university.

Historic Designation

The home has enjoyed historic appearances in cinema, television and music videos, including several popular titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city recognized the Stahl house a heritage site, and in 2013, the house was listed as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coming Ownership

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

The sales details for the home emphasizes finding a buyer who will conserve the essence of the space.

"For collectors of design, patrons of design, or institutions seeking to protect an iconic work, there is simply nothing comparable," the details state. "This is more than a sale; it is a transfer of stewardship – a hunt for the next guardian who will respect the house’s past, appreciate its design integrity, and secure its preservation for posterity."

The specialist agreed that the selection of new owner would be a vital one, given the home’s history.

"I believe any time a long-term steward, and a stewardship like this, is transferring hands of a home like this, it always creates a little bit of a pause – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And do they grasp and appreciate the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"