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The celebrated Stahl house, a paragon of mid-century modern architecture, is up for sale for the initial occasion in its whole history.

This overhanging home, nestled in the Hollywood Hills, hit the market this week. The listing price stands at a notable $25 million.

Family Decision to Sell

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the property for its full 65-year history, released a announcement regarding their decision to sell. They stated that the dwelling had become increasingly challenging to care for.

"This house has been the heart of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve grown older, it has become more difficult to maintain it with the dedication and energy it so rightfully warrants," wrote the offspring of the first owners.

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

Humble Origins

The origins of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the original owners acquired a sloped parcel of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills area for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house growing into a well-known icon of the city, the residents often emphasized that "no celebrities ever lived here," describing themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Design Undertaking

The initial design for the Stahl house was created during the summer months of 1956. However, many builders were originally reluctant to build it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to take on the challenge. With assistance from the prominent Case Study program, led by a leading magazine editor, the owners received financial aid to hire Koenig.

The progressive program "was about innovation" and "using new building materials and building in sites that maybe previously the technology didn’t really permit," commented an authority from a regional conservancy. "All these elements are combined into a site like the Stahl house, which was innovative, progressive and unimaginable in terms of how it was constructed on that site that everyone else believed, at the time, was not feasible."

Finalization and Cultural Impact

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and construction began in May 1959. According to the residents, construction cost "just $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The outcome was "an idealized version of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the authority noted.

Soon after completion, a celebrated architectural photographer shot what is perhaps the most iconic photograph of the home. Taken through the full-length glass windows, the image depicts two women sitting in the home’s living room but appearing to levitate over the LA skyline.

"I believe the lasting effect of this photo is due to the way it communicates an concept about residing in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both urban and removed from it," commented a principal of an architectural company and lecturer at a leading university.

Cultural Status

The home has made historic cameos in movies, television and videos, including several well-known 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 added as a preserved site on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coming Stewardship

The home is still open for public viewings, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all slots are currently fully booked through February. In their statement regarding the sale, the family said they would give "sufficient warning" before stopping the tours.

The listing for the home stresses finding a new owner who will maintain the character of the space.

"For connoisseurs of style, patrons of building, or organizations seeking to safeguard an iconic work, there is simply no parallel," the details say. "This is not merely a sale; it is a passing of responsibility – a quest for the next steward who will respect the house’s past, value its design integrity, and ensure its conservation for generations to come."

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

"I believe any time a original family, and a guardianship like this, is transferring hands of a home like this, it always creates a little bit of a hesitation – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And do they comprehend and appreciate the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"