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The celebrated Stahl house, a quintessential example of mid-century modern design, is now available for the very first time in its complete history.

This cantilevered residence, perched in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, appeared on the listings this past week. The price tag stands at a notable $25 million.

Owners Move to Part With

The Stahl family, who have held title to the residence for its full 65-year history, shared a statement regarding their decision to sell. They noted that the property had grown increasingly challenging to maintain.

"This home has been the center of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve grown older, it has become progressively harder to care for it with the dedication and energy it so richly deserves," wrote the children of the original owners.

They added that the time had come to find a new "guardian" for the house – "an individual who not only values its design legacy but also comprehends its role in the cultural history of LA and elsewhere."

Modest Beginnings

The inception of the Stahl house go back to May 1954, when the first owners purchased a sloped plot of land in the previously undeveloped Hollywood Hills area for $13,500.

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

Architectural Challenge

The first design for the Stahl house was developed during the summer of 1956. However, many architects were originally wary to build it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to undertake the project. With assistance from the influential Case Study program, led by a leading magazine editor, the family received subsidies to commission Koenig.

The modernist program "centered around experimentation" and "using new materials and building in places that maybe previously the engineering didn’t really permit," remarked an authority from a regional conservancy. "All these elements are wrapped up into a property like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, progressive and inconceivable in terms of how it was constructed on that site that everyone else believed, at the time, was unbuildable."

Finalization and Cultural Influence

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and building started in May 1959. According to the family, construction cost "just $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The outcome was "a perfect representation of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the expert noted.

Soon after construction was finished, a famous architectural photographer captured what is possibly the most iconic photograph of the home. Captured through the full-length glass windows, the image features two women sitting in the home’s living room but appearing to hover over the city skyline.

"I believe the enduring effect of this image is due to the way it expresses an notion about living in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both in the city and removed from it," stated a principal of an architectural company and lecturer at a leading university.

Historic Recognition

The home has enjoyed memorable cameos in cinema, broadcast and promos, including several popular 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 listed as a preserved site on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coming Stewardship

The home remains open for visits, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all tours are currently fully booked through February. In their announcement concerning the sale, the family stated they would give "plenty of advance notice" before stopping the tours.

The sales details for the home highlights finding a buyer who will preserve the character of the space.

"For enthusiasts of architecture, patrons of building, or institutions seeking to protect an national treasure, there is simply nothing comparable," the details say. "This is not merely a transaction; it is a passing of responsibility – a quest for the next guardian who will honor the house’s legacy, respect its original vision, and ensure its preservation for future generations."

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

"I believe any time a longtime owner, and a custodianship like this, is changing ownership of a home like this, it always causes a little bit of a concern – because you never know what the next owner, what their aims will be. And do they grasp and value the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"