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The famous Stahl house, a epitome of mid-century modern architecture, is now available for the very first time in its complete history.

This cantilevered home, perched in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, was listed on the real estate market this week. The price tag stands at a substantial $25 million.

Family Decision to Part With

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the home for its complete 65-year existence, issued a declaration regarding their decision to sell. They stated that the dwelling had grown increasingly challenging to care for.

"This residence has been the center of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become progressively harder to care for it with the dedication and energy it so rightfully warrants," commented the offspring of the original owners.

They further stated that the period had arrived to find a new "guardian" for the house – "someone who not only appreciates its architectural importance but also understands its role in the cultural fabric of the city and beyond."

Humble Beginnings

The origins of the Stahl house go back to May 1954, when the first owners purchased a hilly parcel of land in the previously undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house growing into a famous icon of the city, the owners often stressed that "no famous individuals ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Design Undertaking

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

In November 1957, the owners interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to take on the task. With backing from the notable Case Study program, spearheaded by a prominent magazine editor, the owners received subsidies to engage Koenig.

The contemporary program "was about innovation" and "utilizing new resources and building in sites that maybe previously the techniques didn’t really permit," remarked an specialist from a city conservancy. "All these elements are integrated into a site like the Stahl house, which was innovative, progressive and unthinkable in terms of how it was built on that location that everyone else believed, at the time, was impossible to build."

Finalization and Cultural Influence

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and work commenced in May 1959. According to the residents, construction amounted to "just $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The outcome was "an idealized version of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the expert commented.

Soon after construction was finished, a famous architectural photographer shot what is arguably the most iconic image of the home. Shot through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photo depicts two women sitting in the home’s living room but appearing to float over the Los Angeles skyline.

"In my opinion the enduring impact of this image is due to the way it expresses an notion about dwelling in Los Angeles, an duality about being both metropolitan and separate from it," commented a head of an architectural company and lecturer at a prominent university.

Protected Designation

The home has had memorable appearances in cinema, TV and music videos, including several well-known titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

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

Next Stewardship

The home remains open for public viewings, as it has been for the last 17 years, although all appointments are currently sold out through February. In their statement concerning the sale, the family stated they would give "sufficient warning" before stopping the tours.

The listing for the home stresses finding a buyer who will conserve the spirit of the space.

"For enthusiasts of architecture, supporters of design, or entities seeking to preserve an national treasure, there is simply no parallel," the description state. "This is more than a sale; it is a transfer of stewardship – a hunt for the next custodian who will honor the house’s history, respect its design integrity, and ensure its protection for future generations."

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

"In my view any time a longtime owner, and a stewardship like this, is changing ownership of a residence like this, it always causes a little bit of a pause – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their aims will be. And can they comprehend and appreciate the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"