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The famous Stahl house, a epitome of mid-century modern architectural design, is currently listed for the very first time in its complete history.

This cantilevered home, perched in the Hollywood Hills, hit the listings this recent week. The listing price stands at a notable $25 million.

Family Move to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have owned the home for its complete 65-year existence, issued a statement regarding their resolution to sell. They noted that the house had proven too difficult to upkeep.

"This residence has been the heart of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve grown older, it has become progressively harder to care for it with the attention and effort it so richly deserves," commented the offspring of the original owners.

They added that the time had come to find a new "custodian" for the house – "a person who not only values its architectural importance but also understands its place in the cultural history of the city and elsewhere."

Humble Origins

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

Despite the Stahl house becoming a well-known symbol of the city, the family often stressed that "no celebrities ever lived here," describing themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a white-collar house."

Construction Feat

The initial design for the Stahl house was conceived during the warm season of 1956. However, many designers were originally wary to construct it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to accept the project. With backing from the notable Case Study program, pioneered by a key magazine editor, the owners received financial aid to hire Koenig.

The modernist program "centered around experimentation" and "employing new building materials and erecting in locations that maybe before the technology didn’t really allow," remarked an authority from a regional conservancy. "All those things are wrapped up into a site like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, contemporary and unthinkable in terms of how it was erected on that location that everyone else believed, at the time, was unbuildable."

Completion and Cultural Impact

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and building began in May 1959. According to the owners, construction amounted to "only $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The result was "the ultimate vision of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the expert noted.

Soon after completion, a celebrated architectural photographer took what is arguably the most iconic photograph of the home. Taken through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photo depicts two women seated in the home’s living room but appearing to float over the city skyline.

"I believe the long-standing impact of this photo is due to the way it communicates an concept about residing in Los Angeles, an duality about being both metropolitan and separate from it," commented a founder of an architectural firm and lecturer at a leading university.

Historic Recognition

The home has enjoyed memorable features in cinema, 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 listed as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Future Stewardship

The home remains open for public viewings, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all tours are currently fully booked through February. In their statement announcing the sale, the family said they would give "ample notice" before stopping the tours.

The property description for the home highlights finding a new owner who will preserve the character of the space.

"For collectors of design, advocates of design, or institutions seeking to safeguard an iconic work, there is simply no parallel," the listing say. "This goes beyond a purchase; it is a handover of custody – a search for the next steward who will respect the house’s legacy, respect its original vision, and secure its conservation for posterity."

The specialist agreed that the selection of buyer would be a vital one, given the home’s history.

"I believe any time a longtime owner, and a custodianship like this, is changing ownership of a home like this, it always gives us a little bit of a concern – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And do they understand and cherish the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"