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

This cantilevered dwelling, situated in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, was listed on the listings this week. The listing price stands at a notable $25 million.

Family Decision to Part With

The Stahl family, who have owned the property for its full 65-year existence, issued a statement regarding their resolution to sell. They expressed that the dwelling had proven too difficult to upkeep.

"This house has been the core of our lives for decades, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become progressively harder to maintain it with the attention and vigor it so rightfully warrants," wrote the offspring of the first owners.

They further stated that the period had come to find a new "custodian" for the house – "a person who not only appreciates its design legacy but also comprehends its role in the cultural fabric of the city and beyond."

Modest Beginnings

The beginnings of the Stahl house trace back to May 1954, when the first owners purchased a sloped plot of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house growing into a famous symbol of the city, the owners often emphasized that "no famous individuals ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a luxury house."

Construction Feat

The first design for the Stahl house was created during the warm season of 1956. However, many designers were at first hesitant to build it on the difficult hillside.

In November 1957, the owners consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to accept the task. With backing from the notable Case Study program, pioneered by a key magazine editor, the family received financial aid to engage Koenig.

The contemporary program "centered around trial and error" and "using new building materials and constructing in places that maybe previously the engineering didn’t really enable," stated an expert from a city preservation society. "All those things are integrated into a site like the Stahl house, which was innovative, progressive and unthinkable in terms of how it was built on that site that everyone else believed, at the time, was unbuildable."

Finalization and Iconic Influence

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and construction commenced in May 1959. According to the owners, construction amounted to "just $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The result was "an idealized version of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the authority noted.

Soon after the build ended, a renowned architectural photographer took what is perhaps the most well-known picture of the home. Taken through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photograph shows two women seated in the home’s living room but appearing to float over the LA skyline.

"In my opinion the enduring impact of that photograph is due to the way it communicates an notion about residing in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both urban and separate from it," commented a principal of an architectural company and lecturer at a major university.

Protected Designation

The home has enjoyed notable appearances in cinema, broadcast and promos, including several famous titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

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

Coming Ownership

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

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

"For collectors of design, supporters of design, or institutions seeking to preserve an iconic work, there is simply no equal," the description read. "This is not merely a transaction; it is a passing of responsibility – a hunt for the next guardian who will respect the house’s history, appreciate its architectural purity, and secure its protection for future generations."

The expert agreed that the choice of purchaser would be a crucial one, given the home’s legacy.

"I believe any time a long-term steward, and a custodianship like this, is being sold of a residence like this, it always causes a little bit of a concern – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their aims will be. And can they comprehend and value the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"