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The renowned Stahl house, a paragon of mid-century modern design, is currently listed for the first time in its complete history.

This suspended residence, nestled in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, appeared on the listings this past week. The listing price stands at an impressive $25 million.

Stewards Decision to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have owned the home for its entire 65-year existence, shared a statement regarding their choice to sell. They expressed that the dwelling had proven too difficult to maintain.

"This residence has been the center of our lives for many years, but as we’ve aged, it has become increasingly challenging to look after it with the dedication and energy it so rightfully warrants," commented the children of the original owners.

They added that the period had arrived to find a new "custodian" for the house – "someone who not only values its architectural importance but also understands its role in the cultural fabric of Los Angeles and further afield."

Humble Inception

The beginnings of the Stahl house trace back to May 1954, when the original owners acquired a sloped plot of land in the at the time undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house becoming a famous representation of the city, the owners often pointed out that "no celebrities ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "average family living in a luxury house."

Architectural Feat

The original design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer months of 1956. However, many architects were originally wary to build it on the precarious hillside.

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

The contemporary program "centered around innovation" and "employing new resources and constructing in sites that maybe before the technology didn’t really enable," stated an expert from a city conservancy. "All those things are combined into a place like the Stahl house, which was innovative, modern and unimaginable in terms of how it was built on that plot that everyone else believed, at the time, was impossible to build."

Realization and Cultural Legacy

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and construction started in May 1959. According to the family, construction amounted to "only $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The final product was "the ultimate vision of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the specialist noted.

Soon after the build ended, a celebrated architectural photographer shot what is possibly the most famous image of the home. Shot through the enormous glass windows, the image shows two women seated in the home’s living room but appearing to float over the city skyline.

"I believe the enduring impact of this photograph is due to the way it communicates an idea about residing in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both metropolitan and separate from it," commented a founder of an architectural firm and lecturer at a major university.

Protected Recognition

The home has had memorable features in movies, television and music videos, including several famous titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city designated 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 Stewardship

The home remains open for visits, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all tours are currently sold out through February. In their release regarding the sale, the family said they would give "ample notice" before discontinuing the tours.

The property description for the home stresses finding a purchaser who will preserve the spirit of the space.

"For connoisseurs of style, patrons of design, or organizations seeking to protect an American masterpiece, there is simply nothing comparable," the details state. "This is more than a transaction; it is a passing of responsibility – a search for the next steward who will respect the house’s history, value its design integrity, and guarantee its preservation for generations to come."

The expert concurred that the decision of purchaser would be a vital one, given the home’s past.

"I believe any time a long-term steward, and a custodianship like this, is transferring hands of a home like this, it always causes a little bit of a hesitation – because you never know what the next owner, what their plans will be. And will they grasp and appreciate the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"