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The renowned Stahl house, a epitome of mid-century modern architectural design, is now available for the first time in its complete history.

This cantilevered home, situated in the Hollywood Hills area, hit the real estate market this recent week. The asking price stands at a notable $25 million.

Stewards Move to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the home for its entire 65-year existence, released a announcement regarding their resolution to sell. They noted that the property had proven increasingly challenging to care for.

"This home has been the heart of our lives for decades, but as we’ve grown older, it has become progressively harder to look after it with the care and effort it so truly merits," wrote the children of the first owners.

They added that the period had emerged to find a new "steward" for the house – "a person who not only appreciates its design legacy but also comprehends its place in the cultural history of LA and further afield."

Modest Origins

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

Despite the Stahl house becoming a renowned representation of the city, the owners often stressed that "no famous individuals ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a luxury house."

Construction Undertaking

The initial design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer months of 1956. However, many designers were at first reluctant to build it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to accept the challenge. With support from the notable Case Study program, pioneered by a leading magazine editor, the owners received financial aid to hire Koenig.

The contemporary program "centered around trial and error" and "using new materials and constructing in places that maybe before the technology didn’t really enable," commented an expert from a local preservation society. "Each of these factors are integrated into a property like the Stahl house, which was innovative, modern and inconceivable in terms of how it was erected on that plot that everyone else believed, at the time, was impossible to build."

Realization and Famous Legacy

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and construction commenced in May 1959. According to the residents, construction cost "just $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The result was "a perfect representation of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the expert added.

Soon after construction was finished, a renowned architectural photographer took what is perhaps the most well-known image of the home. Shot through the enormous glass windows, the photo shows two women sitting in the home’s living room but seeming to levitate over the Los Angeles skyline.

"I think the enduring influence of the photo is due to the way it expresses an notion about living in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both metropolitan and separate from it," stated a principal of an architectural firm and educator at a major university.

Cultural Designation

The home has made memorable cameos in film, television and music videos, including several well-known titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city declared the Stahl house a historic-cultural landmark, and in 2013, the house was listed as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coming Ownership

The home remains open for visits, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all appointments are currently reserved through February. In their announcement announcing the sale, the family stated they would give "sufficient warning" before stopping the tours.

The sales details for the home emphasizes finding a new owner who will maintain the essence of the space.

"For collectors of architecture, patrons of design, or organizations seeking to protect an national treasure, there is simply nothing comparable," the description state. "This goes beyond a purchase; it is a passing of responsibility – a search for the next guardian who will celebrate the house’s legacy, respect its original vision, and guarantee its conservation for generations to come."

The specialist concurred that the decision of new owner would be a vital one, given the home’s legacy.

"In my view any time a longtime owner, and a guardianship like this, is being sold of a property like this, it always gives us a little bit of a pause – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their aims will be. And can they comprehend and value the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"