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The celebrated Stahl house, a paragon of mid-century modern design, is now available for the first time in its entire history.

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

Stewards Choice to Sell

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the home for its full 65-year existence, issued a announcement regarding their choice to sell. They expressed that the house had grown increasingly challenging to care for.

"This residence has been the core of our lives for decades, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become increasingly challenging to maintain it with the attention and effort it so richly deserves," commented the descendants of the first owners.

They further stated that the moment had come to find a new "steward" for the house – "an individual who not only values its architectural significance but also grasps its place in the cultural fabric of the city and elsewhere."

Modest Inception

The beginnings of the Stahl house go back to May 1954, when the initial owners acquired a hilly patch of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills district for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house becoming a renowned symbol of the city, the family often pointed out that "nobody famous ever lived here," describing themselves as a "working-class family living in a luxury house."

Construction Undertaking

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

In November 1957, the family met with architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to take on the project. With backing from the influential Case Study program, led by a leading magazine editor, the family received subsidies to commission Koenig.

The modernist program "centered around trial and error" and "utilizing new resources and constructing in locations that maybe previously the technology didn’t really permit," commented an specialist from a city conservancy. "Each of these factors are wrapped up into a site like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, contemporary and inconceivable in terms of how it was erected on that plot that everyone else considered, at the time, was unbuildable."

Finalization and Cultural Influence

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and construction commenced in May 1959. According to the residents, construction totaled "just $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The result was "a perfect representation of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the specialist commented.

Soon after the build ended, a renowned architectural photographer shot what is arguably the most well-known picture of the home. Shot through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photograph shows two women sitting in the home’s living room but appearing to hover over the city skyline.

"I believe the enduring effect of this photograph is due to the way it communicates an notion about dwelling in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both in the city and removed from it," said a principal of an architectural practice and educator at a major university.

Cultural Designation

The home has made notable cameos in film, TV and promos, including several famous titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

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

Coming Ownership

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

The sales details for the home highlights finding a new owner who will maintain the spirit of the space.

"For enthusiasts of design, patrons of architecture, or organizations seeking to safeguard an iconic work, there is simply no equal," the listing read. "This is more than a transaction; it is a passing of responsibility – a hunt for the next custodian who will respect the house’s past, respect its design integrity, and ensure its protection for generations to come."

The specialist agreed that the choice of buyer would be a crucial one, given the home’s past.

"I believe any time a long-term steward, and a stewardship like this, is changing ownership of a residence like this, it always gives us a little bit of a hesitation – because you never know what the next owner, what their aims will be. And will they comprehend and value the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"