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The celebrated Stahl house, a epitome of modernist architectural design, is currently listed for the very first time in its whole history.

This overhanging residence, situated in the Hollywood Hills area, appeared on the listings this past week. The listing price stands at a notable $25 million.

Stewards Move to Sell

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the residence for its entire 65-year timeline, issued a statement regarding their decision to sell. They noted that the property had become increasingly challenging to upkeep.

"This house has been the heart of our lives for many years, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become more difficult to look after it with the dedication and effort it so richly deserves," commented the descendants of the first owners.

They continued that the period had come to find a new "custodian" for the house – "an individual who not only values its architectural significance but also understands its role in the cultural fabric of Los Angeles and elsewhere."

Modest Inception

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

Despite the Stahl house growing into a famous symbol of the city, the owners often pointed out that "nobody famous ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "working-class family living in a luxury house."

Construction Challenge

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

In November 1957, the family interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to take on the challenge. With support from the prominent Case Study program, pioneered by a key magazine editor, the owners received subsidies to commission Koenig.

The contemporary program "was about innovation" and "using new building materials and erecting in sites that maybe before the engineering didn’t really permit," stated an authority from a regional heritage organization. "Each of these factors are wrapped up into a site like the Stahl house, which was innovative, modern and unthinkable in terms of how it was built on that location that everyone else believed, at the time, was unbuildable."

Finalization and Iconic Impact

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and construction started in May 1959. According to the family, construction totaled "only $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The result was "a perfect representation of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the specialist noted.

Soon after completion, a famous architectural photographer took what is possibly the most well-known image of the home. Captured through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photograph depicts two women seated in the home’s living room but seeming to hover over the LA skyline.

"I think the enduring impact of the photo is due to the way it expresses an idea about dwelling in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both in the city and removed from it," stated a head of an architectural practice and lecturer at a prominent university.

Protected Designation

The home has enjoyed historic appearances in film, television and videos, 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.

Future Stewardship

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

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

"For connoisseurs of style, supporters of design, or entities seeking to protect an national treasure, there is simply no parallel," the listing state. "This is more than a purchase; it is a handover of custody – a hunt for the next custodian who will celebrate the house’s legacy, appreciate its architectural purity, and guarantee its conservation for posterity."

The expert agreed that the decision of new owner would be a critical one, given the home’s past.

"In my view any time a long-term steward, and a guardianship like this, is transferring hands of a property like this, it always causes a little bit of a hesitation – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And can they comprehend and cherish the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"