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The famous Stahl house, a paragon of mid-century modern design, is up for sale for the very first time in its whole history.

This suspended dwelling, perched in the Hollywood Hills area, hit the listings this week. The asking price stands at a substantial $25 million.

Stewards Move to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have owned the residence for its complete 65-year history, issued a declaration regarding their resolution to sell. They noted that the dwelling had become too difficult to care for.

"This residence has been the center of our lives for decades, but as we’ve aged, it has become increasingly challenging to look after it with the attention and energy it so truly merits," stated the offspring of the original owners.

They further stated that the moment had arrived to find a new "steward" for the house – "a person who not only values its architectural importance but also comprehends its place in the cultural landscape of LA and further afield."

Humble Beginnings

The inception of the Stahl house go back to May 1954, when the original owners purchased a mountainous parcel of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house becoming a renowned representation of the city, the family often pointed out that "no famous individuals ever lived here," describing themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Design Challenge

The initial design for the Stahl house was developed during the summer of 1956. However, many architects were originally wary to erect it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the owners consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to take on the task. With assistance from the influential Case Study program, pioneered by a key magazine editor, the Stahls received financial aid to hire Koenig.

The contemporary program "centered around innovation" and "using new materials and building in sites that maybe previously the technology didn’t really enable," stated an expert from a regional preservation society. "Each of these factors are combined into a property like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, contemporary and inconceivable in terms of how it was erected on that location that everyone else believed, at the time, was impossible to build."

Completion and Famous Impact

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and building commenced in May 1959. According to the family, construction cost "a mere $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The result was "an idealized version of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the specialist added.

Soon after completion, a celebrated architectural photographer took what is perhaps the most famous picture of the home. Taken through the full-length glass windows, the image shows two women positioned in the home’s living room but appearing to float over the Los Angeles skyline.

"I think the lasting effect of that image is due to the way it expresses an notion about dwelling in Los Angeles, an duality about being both urban and detached from it," commented a founder of an architectural practice and adjunct professor at a leading university.

Historic Status

The home has had notable features in film, broadcast and promos, including several famous titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

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

Coming Ownership

The home is still open for visits, as it has been for the last 17 years, although all tours are currently fully booked through February. In their announcement announcing the sale, the family indicated they would give "plenty of advance notice" before ending the tours.

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

"For connoisseurs of style, advocates of architecture, or entities seeking to protect an iconic work, there is simply no equal," the listing read. "This is not merely a sale; it is a transfer of stewardship – a hunt for the next guardian who will celebrate the house’s past, respect its architectural purity, and secure its protection for generations to come."

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

"I think any time a original family, and a stewardship like this, is changing ownership of a residence like this, it always causes a little bit of a concern – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their plans will be. And do they comprehend and value the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"