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

This cantilevered home, situated in the Hollywood Hills, appeared on the listings this past week. The asking price stands at an impressive $25 million.

Family Choice to Part With

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the home for its complete 65-year existence, released a announcement regarding their resolution to sell. They noted that the property had proven too difficult to care for.

"This house has been the heart of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve grown older, it has become more difficult to care for it with the care and vigor it so richly deserves," wrote the offspring of the initial owners.

They added that the moment had emerged to find a new "custodian" for the house – "an individual who not only appreciates its architectural importance but also comprehends its place in the cultural landscape of the city and elsewhere."

Unassuming Origins

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

Despite the Stahl house becoming a renowned representation of the city, the residents often pointed out that "no famous individuals ever lived here," describing themselves as a "working-class family living in a white-collar house."

Design Undertaking

The original design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer months of 1956. However, many builders were initially wary to build it on the challenging hillside.

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

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

Realization and Famous Influence

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and work started in May 1959. According to the owners, 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 specialist noted.

Soon after completion, a famous architectural photographer took what is possibly the most iconic photograph of the home. Captured through the full-length glass windows, the photo shows two women positioned in the home’s living room but seeming to hover over the LA skyline.

"I believe the enduring impact of this image is due to the way it expresses an notion about dwelling in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both metropolitan and separate from it," commented a principal of an architectural firm and educator at a major university.

Historic Status

The home has made notable appearances in cinema, broadcast and music videos, including several famous 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 protected property on the National Register of Historic Places.

Future Custodianship

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

The property description for the home emphasizes finding a new owner who will preserve the spirit of the space.

"For connoisseurs of design, supporters of architecture, or entities seeking to safeguard an national treasure, there is simply nothing comparable," the listing read. "This is not merely a sale; it is a passing of responsibility – a hunt for the next steward who will honor the house’s legacy, appreciate its original vision, and secure its conservation for generations to come."

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

"I think any time a original family, and a custodianship like this, is changing ownership of a residence like this, it always gives us a little bit of a hesitation – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And do they comprehend and appreciate the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"