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The renowned Stahl house, a paragon of modernist architecture, is now available for the very first time in its complete history.

This suspended residence, nestled in the Hollywood Hills, appeared on the listings this week. The listing price stands at an impressive $25 million.

Stewards Decision to Sell

The Stahl family, who have owned the residence for its entire 65-year timeline, released a statement regarding their choice to sell. They stated that the property had grown too difficult to maintain.

"This residence has been the center of our lives for decades, but as we’ve aged, it has become progressively harder to maintain it with the care and effort it so truly merits," commented the children of the first owners.

They added that the moment had come to find a new "steward" for the house – "someone who not only appreciates its architectural importance but also understands its role in the cultural landscape of the city and further afield."

Modest Inception

The beginnings of the Stahl house trace back to May 1954, when the initial owners bought a mountainous patch of land in the previously undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a famous symbol of the city, the residents often emphasized that "no famous individuals ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Construction Challenge

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

In November 1957, the Stahls consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to undertake the project. With support from the prominent Case Study program, pioneered by a key magazine editor, the family received financial aid to commission Koenig.

The modernist program "was about trial and error" and "employing new resources and building in sites that maybe previously the engineering didn’t really permit," stated an specialist from a local heritage organization. "All those things are combined into a place like the Stahl house, which was innovative, modern and inconceivable in terms of how it was constructed on that plot that everyone else believed, at the time, was unbuildable."

Finalization and Cultural Impact

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and construction began in May 1959. According to the family, construction cost "just $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The outcome was "the ultimate vision of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the expert added.

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

"I believe the lasting impact of the photograph is due to the way it expresses an idea about living in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both in the city and detached from it," stated a head of an architectural company and lecturer at a leading university.

Protected Status

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

In 1999, the city designated the Stahl house a heritage site, and in 2013, the house was listed as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Custodianship

The home continues to be open for tours, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all slots are currently reserved through February. In their statement concerning the sale, the family stated they would give "ample notice" before stopping the tours.

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

"For collectors of style, patrons of architecture, or organizations seeking to protect an iconic work, 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 guardian who will honor the house’s legacy, appreciate its original vision, and ensure its protection for generations to come."

The specialist agreed that the choice of buyer would be a crucial one, given the home’s history.

"I think any time a longtime owner, and a guardianship like this, is being sold of a home like this, it always creates a little bit of a pause – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their aims will be. And do they comprehend and cherish the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"