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The celebrated Stahl house, a epitome of mid-century modern architectural design, is currently listed for the first time in its complete history.

This overhanging home, nestled in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, appeared on the market this past week. The price tag stands at a notable $25 million.

Stewards Decision to Sell

The Stahl family, who have held title to the residence for its complete 65-year history, shared a statement regarding their choice to sell. They expressed that the property had grown excessively demanding to maintain.

"This house has been the core of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve grown older, it has become more difficult to care for it with the dedication and energy it so truly merits," wrote the offspring of the original owners.

They further stated that the period had come to find a new "custodian" for the house – "an individual who not only values its architectural importance but also grasps its position in the cultural landscape of Los Angeles and beyond."

Humble Inception

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

Despite the Stahl house becoming a well-known icon of the city, the family often pointed out that "no famous individuals ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "working-class family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Construction Feat

The original design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer of 1956. However, many architects were originally hesitant to construct it on the difficult hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls met with architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to accept the project. With backing from the influential Case Study program, pioneered by a prominent magazine editor, the Stahls received support to engage Koenig.

The contemporary program "centered around trial and error" and "utilizing new resources and building in locations that maybe earlier the technology didn’t really permit," remarked an authority from a city heritage organization. "All those things are wrapped up into a place like the Stahl house, which was innovative, progressive and unthinkable in terms of how it was erected on that location that everyone else believed, at the time, was unbuildable."

Completion and Iconic Impact

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and work started in May 1959. According to the residents, construction cost "just $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The final product was "the ultimate vision of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the specialist commented.

Soon after construction was finished, a celebrated architectural photographer took what is possibly the most iconic picture of the home. Taken through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the image features two women positioned in the home’s living room but seeming to float over the Los Angeles skyline.

"I believe the long-standing impact of that photograph is due to the way it conveys an idea about residing in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both urban and removed from it," stated a principal of an architectural company and lecturer at a prominent university.

Protected Designation

The home has enjoyed memorable appearances in cinema, broadcast and promos, including several popular 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 added as a protected property on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Custodianship

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

The listing for the home emphasizes finding a purchaser who will maintain the character of the space.

"For connoisseurs of architecture, supporters of design, or institutions seeking to preserve an iconic work, there is simply no parallel," the listing state. "This goes beyond a transaction; it is a handover of custody – a quest for the next custodian who will honor the house’s history, respect its architectural purity, and secure its conservation for posterity."

The specialist concurred that the selection of purchaser would be a vital one, given the home’s past.

"I believe any time a original family, and a custodianship like this, is transferring hands of a residence like this, it always gives us a little bit of a pause – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their plans will be. And will they comprehend and appreciate the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"