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The famous Stahl house, a paragon of mid-century modern architecture, is up for sale for the very first time in its whole history.

This suspended residence, situated in the Hollywood Hills, hit the market this past week. The asking price stands at an impressive $25 million.

Family Choice to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have owned the residence for its full 65-year existence, issued a announcement regarding their decision to sell. They expressed that the property had proven too difficult to upkeep.

"This home has been the heart of our lives for decades, but as we’ve grown older, it has become increasingly challenging to maintain it with the care and effort it so rightfully warrants," stated the descendants of the original owners.

They continued that the moment had come to find a new "guardian" for the house – "an individual who not only recognizes its architectural significance but also understands its position in the cultural fabric of the city and elsewhere."

Unassuming Inception

The origins of the Stahl house trace back to May 1954, when the first owners purchased a hilly plot of land in the at the time undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a renowned icon of the city, the residents often pointed out that "no famous individuals ever lived here," describing themselves as a "working-class family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Design Challenge

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

In November 1957, the owners met with architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to undertake the task. With assistance from the influential Case Study program, led by a leading magazine editor, the family received subsidies to commission Koenig.

The contemporary program "centered around experimentation" and "employing new materials and constructing in sites that maybe before the engineering didn’t really enable," remarked an expert from a regional conservancy. "Each of these factors are integrated into a property like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, contemporary and unthinkable in terms of how it was erected on that location that everyone else thought, at the time, was not feasible."

Finalization and Cultural Impact

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and work began in May 1959. According to the owners, construction amounted to "just $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The result was "a perfect representation of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the authority noted.

Soon after completion, a celebrated architectural photographer captured what is perhaps the most well-known photograph of the home. Shot through the enormous glass windows, the image features two women seated in the home’s living room but seeming to float over the LA skyline.

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

Protected Status

The home has enjoyed notable features in movies, television and videos, including several famous titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city recognized 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.

Future Ownership

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

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

"For connoisseurs of design, advocates of architecture, or entities seeking to safeguard an American masterpiece, there is simply no equal," the details read. "This is not merely a transaction; it is a passing of responsibility – a hunt for the next steward who will celebrate the house’s legacy, respect its original vision, and secure its preservation for generations to come."

The authority agreed that the choice of new owner would be a crucial one, given the home’s history.

"I believe any time a long-term steward, and a stewardship like this, is transferring hands of a residence like this, it always causes a little bit of a pause – because you never know what the next owner, what their plans will be. And will they grasp and cherish the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"