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The renowned Stahl house, a epitome of mid-century modern architecture, is currently listed for the very first time in its entire history.

This suspended home, nestled in the Hollywood Hills area, appeared on the market this week. The asking price stands at an impressive $25 million.

Family Decision to Part With

The Stahl family, who have owned the property for its entire 65-year history, shared a statement regarding their decision to sell. They stated that the property had grown excessively demanding to maintain.

"This house has been the center of our lives for decades, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become progressively harder to maintain it with the care and vigor it so rightfully warrants," commented the children of the initial owners.

They further stated that the period had emerged to find a new "custodian" for the house – "a person who not only values its architectural importance but also understands its place in the cultural fabric of Los Angeles and elsewhere."

Humble Inception

The origins of the Stahl house go back to May 1954, when the first owners purchased a sloped plot of land in the previously undeveloped Hollywood Hills area for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house growing into a well-known symbol of the city, the owners often emphasized that "nobody famous ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "working-class family living in a luxury house."

Architectural Undertaking

The first design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer of 1956. However, many builders were at first wary to build it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the owners interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to accept the project. With support from the notable Case Study program, pioneered by a leading magazine editor, the Stahls received support to commission Koenig.

The progressive program "was about innovation" and "employing new building materials and building in locations that maybe previously the engineering didn’t really allow," commented an authority from a local conservancy. "Each of these factors are integrated into a site like the Stahl house, which was innovative, modern and unimaginable in terms of how it was built on that site that everyone else thought, at the time, was impossible to build."

Realization and Iconic Influence

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and building began in May 1959. According to the residents, construction cost "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 added.

Soon after completion, a famous architectural photographer shot what is arguably the most famous picture of the home. Captured through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photograph shows two women seated in the home’s living room but seeming to levitate over the LA skyline.

"In my opinion the lasting effect of the image is due to the way it communicates an concept about residing in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both metropolitan and removed from it," commented a founder of an architectural company and adjunct professor at a major university.

Cultural Designation

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

In 1999, the city designated the Stahl house a heritage site, and in 2013, the house was included as a protected property on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Stewardship

The home is still open for visits, as it has been for the last 17 years, although all slots are currently fully booked through February. In their announcement regarding the sale, the family indicated they would give "sufficient warning" before stopping the tours.

The listing for the home stresses finding a buyer who will preserve the essence of the space.

"For connoisseurs of style, patrons of architecture, or institutions seeking to safeguard an American masterpiece, there is simply nothing comparable," the description read. "This is not merely a transaction; it is a handover of custody – a hunt for the next guardian who will celebrate the house’s legacy, respect its architectural purity, and secure its conservation for generations to come."

The specialist concurred that the selection of buyer would be a crucial one, given the home’s legacy.

"I think any time a long-term steward, and a stewardship like this, is transferring hands of a property like this, it always creates a little bit of a pause – because you cannot predict 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?"