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

This overhanging residence, perched in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, was listed on the real estate market this week. The asking price stands at an impressive $25 million.

Family Choice to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have held title to the home for its complete 65-year existence, released a announcement regarding their choice to sell. They stated that the house had proven excessively demanding to maintain.

"This residence has been the heart of our lives for decades, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become progressively harder to care for it with the care and effort it so truly merits," stated the children of the original owners.

They added that the period had arrived to find a new "custodian" for the house – "a person who not only recognizes its design legacy but also comprehends its position in the cultural history of LA and elsewhere."

Unassuming Origins

The inception of the Stahl house go back to May 1954, when the initial owners acquired a mountainous plot of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills area for $13,500.

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

Architectural Feat

The initial design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer of 1956. However, many architects were initially reluctant to construct it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the owners met with architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to take on the project. With support from the influential Case Study program, pioneered by a prominent magazine editor, the Stahls received financial aid to engage Koenig.

The progressive program "focused on experimentation" and "employing new building materials and constructing in sites that maybe previously the technology didn’t really allow," stated an authority from a city preservation society. "Each of these factors are wrapped up into a place like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, progressive and unimaginable in terms of how it was built on that site that everyone else considered, at the time, was unbuildable."

Completion and Famous Impact

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

Soon after the build ended, a famous architectural photographer captured what is perhaps the most iconic picture of the home. Taken through the enormous glass windows, the image features two women seated in the home’s living room but seeming to hover over the city skyline.

"I believe the long-standing effect of the photograph is due to the way it expresses an idea about residing in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both in the city and detached from it," stated a founder of an architectural company and lecturer at a leading university.

Cultural Status

The home has had notable features in movies, TV and music videos, including several well-known 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 conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coming Custodianship

The home remains open for public viewings, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all tours are currently reserved through February. In their announcement concerning the sale, the family said they would give "plenty of advance notice" before stopping the tours.

The listing for the home highlights finding a new owner who will conserve the spirit of the space.

"For connoisseurs of architecture, advocates of architecture, or institutions seeking to protect an American masterpiece, there is simply no parallel," the listing state. "This is more than a transaction; it is a handover of custody – a hunt for the next steward who will celebrate the house’s history, value its design integrity, and ensure its conservation for future generations."

The authority concurred that the choice of buyer would be a critical one, given the home’s history.

"In my view any time a long-term steward, and a guardianship like this, is being sold of a home like this, it always gives us a little bit of a concern – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their aims will be. And will they comprehend and appreciate the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"