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The renowned Stahl house, a epitome of modernist architectural design, is now available for the very first time in its whole history.

This overhanging dwelling, perched in the Hollywood Hills area, appeared on the listings this week. The price tag stands at a substantial $25 million.

Stewards Choice to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the residence for its full 65-year existence, shared a announcement regarding their resolution to sell. They stated that the dwelling had grown excessively demanding to upkeep.

"This residence has been the core of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become progressively harder to care for it with the care and effort it so rightfully warrants," stated the descendants of the original owners.

They added that the time had come to find a new "steward" for the house – "an individual who not only recognizes its architectural importance but also comprehends its place in the cultural fabric of Los Angeles and elsewhere."

Modest Inception

The origins of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the first owners purchased a sloped patch of land in the at the time undeveloped Hollywood Hills district for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house growing into a well-known representation of the city, the owners often pointed out that "nobody famous ever lived here," describing themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Construction Challenge

The first design for the Stahl house was created during the summer of 1956. However, many architects were initially wary to erect it on the difficult hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to accept the task. With support from the notable Case Study program, pioneered by a prominent magazine editor, the family received subsidies to hire Koenig.

The progressive program "focused on experimentation" and "employing new resources and erecting in places that maybe earlier the technology didn’t really permit," stated an authority from a city conservancy. "All those things are combined into a property like the Stahl house, which was innovative, modern and unimaginable 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 started in May 1959. According to the owners, construction cost "only $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The final product was "an idealized version of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the expert added.

Soon after the build ended, a celebrated architectural photographer took what is possibly the most iconic image of the home. Captured through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the image shows two women seated in the home’s living room but looking to levitate over the LA skyline.

"I think the lasting effect of this photo is due to the way it conveys an notion about living in Los Angeles, an duality about being both urban and removed from it," said a principal of an architectural company and adjunct professor at a major university.

Historic Designation

The home has made memorable appearances in cinema, television and promos, including several famous titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city recognized the Stahl house a protected monument, and in 2013, the house was added as a protected property on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Stewardship

The home continues to be open for visits, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all appointments are currently fully booked through February. In their statement concerning the sale, the family stated they would give "plenty of advance notice" before discontinuing the tours.

The sales details for the home stresses finding a purchaser who will conserve the character of the space.

"For connoisseurs of architecture, advocates of building, or entities seeking to protect an national treasure, there is simply no parallel," the description say. "This is more than a purchase; it is a handover of custody – a quest for the next custodian who will respect the house’s past, respect its architectural purity, and guarantee its protection for posterity."

The authority affirmed that the selection of new owner would be a crucial one, given the home’s past.

"I think any time a longtime owner, and a custodianship like this, is changing ownership of a property like this, it always gives us a little bit of a concern – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their plans will be. And do they grasp and appreciate the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"