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The celebrated Stahl house, a quintessential example of midcentury modern architecture, is currently listed for the initial occasion in its complete history.

This overhanging residence, nestled in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, hit the real estate market this recent week. The price tag stands at an impressive $25 million.

Stewards Choice to Part With

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the residence for its complete 65-year existence, shared a declaration regarding their resolution to sell. They stated that the dwelling had grown too difficult to upkeep.

"This residence has been the center of our lives for many years, but as we’ve aged, it has become progressively harder to care for it with the attention and energy it so truly merits," stated the children of the first owners.

They continued that the time had arrived to find a new "custodian" for the house – "someone who not only appreciates its design legacy but also grasps its role in the cultural landscape of the city and further afield."

Modest Beginnings

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

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

Construction Undertaking

The first design for the Stahl house was created during the warm season of 1956. However, many designers were initially hesitant to erect it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the family consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to accept the challenge. With support from the influential Case Study program, pioneered by a prominent magazine editor, the Stahls received support to engage Koenig.

The contemporary program "centered around experimentation" and "employing new materials and building in sites that maybe earlier the technology didn’t really allow," stated an expert from a local preservation society. "All these elements are integrated into a place like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, modern and unimaginable in terms of how it was erected on that site that everyone else thought, at the time, was not feasible."

Completion and Iconic Legacy

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and building started in May 1959. According to the residents, construction amounted to "just $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The final product was "an idealized version of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the authority added.

Soon after completion, a celebrated architectural photographer shot what is perhaps the most well-known picture of the home. Taken through the full-length 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 lasting impact of this image is due to the way it expresses an idea about living in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both urban and removed from it," said a principal of an architectural firm and lecturer at a prominent university.

Cultural Recognition

The home has made notable cameos in cinema, television and music videos, including several popular 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 protected property on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Stewardship

The home is still open for public viewings, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all tours are currently sold out through February. In their statement concerning the sale, the family indicated they would give "plenty of advance notice" before discontinuing the tours.

The property description for the home emphasizes finding a buyer who will preserve the spirit of the space.

"For enthusiasts of design, patrons of architecture, or organizations seeking to preserve an national treasure, there is simply nothing comparable," the listing say. "This is more than a sale; it is a transfer of stewardship – a search for the next steward who will celebrate the house’s legacy, appreciate its original vision, and secure its protection for posterity."

The authority affirmed that the choice of purchaser would be a crucial one, given the home’s history.

"In my view any time a long-term steward, and a custodianship like this, is transferring hands of a home like this, it always creates a little bit of a pause – because you never know what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And do they understand and appreciate the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"