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The famous Stahl house, a epitome of modernist design, is now available for the first time in its complete history.

This overhanging dwelling, nestled in the Hollywood Hills, was listed on the market this week. The asking price stands at a substantial $25 million.

Stewards Choice to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the residence for its entire 65-year history, released a announcement regarding their resolution to sell. They stated that the dwelling had become excessively demanding to care for.

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

They added that the period had come to find a new "steward" for the house – "someone who not only recognizes its design legacy but also understands its place in the cultural history of Los Angeles and beyond."

Modest Origins

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

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

Architectural Challenge

The original design for the Stahl house was developed during the summer of 1956. However, many designers were at first hesitant to erect it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the owners interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to take on the task. With assistance from the influential Case Study program, led by a leading magazine editor, the family received support to hire Koenig.

The contemporary program "was about trial and error" and "employing new building materials and erecting in places that maybe earlier the engineering didn’t really permit," commented an specialist from a local conservancy. "Each of these factors are integrated into a property like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, contemporary and unimaginable in terms of how it was constructed on that plot that everyone else believed, at the time, was unbuildable."

Realization and Cultural Influence

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and construction began in May 1959. According to the family, construction amounted to "just $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The final product was "an idealized version of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the expert added.

Soon after the build ended, a renowned architectural photographer captured what is perhaps the most well-known photograph of the home. Captured through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the image depicts two women seated in the home’s living room but looking to levitate over the LA skyline.

"In my opinion the lasting effect of that photograph is due to the way it communicates an concept about living in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both metropolitan and detached from it," stated a founder of an architectural practice and educator at a leading university.

Protected Status

The home has enjoyed notable features in film, television and 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 included as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Future Custodianship

The home is still open for visits, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all tours are currently fully booked through February. In their release regarding the sale, the family indicated they would give "plenty of advance notice" before discontinuing the tours.

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

"For connoisseurs of design, patrons of design, or institutions seeking to safeguard an iconic work, there is simply no parallel," the details read. "This is more than a transaction; it is a transfer of stewardship – a hunt for the next custodian who will celebrate the house’s past, respect its original vision, and ensure its preservation for posterity."

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

"I think any time a original family, and a custodianship like this, is changing ownership of a residence like this, it always gives us a little bit of a hesitation – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their aims will be. And can they understand and cherish the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"