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

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

Family Choice to Part With

The Stahl family, who have owned the home for its full 65-year timeline, issued a declaration regarding their choice to sell. They stated that the dwelling had proven excessively demanding to care for.

"This home has been the heart of our lives for decades, but as we’ve aged, it has become progressively harder to care for it with the dedication and effort it so rightfully warrants," commented the descendants of the initial owners.

They continued that the moment had emerged to find a new "steward" for the house – "someone who not only appreciates its design legacy but also grasps its place in the cultural landscape of Los Angeles and further afield."

Modest Origins

The origins of the Stahl house trace back to May 1954, when the original owners acquired a sloped parcel of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills district for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a famous symbol of the city, the owners often emphasized that "no celebrities ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "working-class family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Construction Feat

The initial design for the Stahl house was developed during the summer of 1956. However, many builders were initially hesitant to build it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the owners consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to accept the task. With backing from the notable Case Study program, spearheaded by a leading magazine editor, the Stahls received support to commission Koenig.

The progressive program "focused on experimentation" and "employing new materials and constructing in places that maybe previously the engineering didn’t really enable," remarked an authority from a regional heritage organization. "All those things are integrated into a place like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, contemporary and unthinkable in terms of how it was erected on that plot that everyone else considered, at the time, was impossible to build."

Completion and Iconic Impact

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and construction started in May 1959. According to the residents, construction cost "only $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The final product was "the ultimate vision of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the specialist noted.

Soon after completion, a renowned architectural photographer captured what is perhaps the most iconic image of the home. Shot through the full-length glass windows, the photograph shows two women sitting in the home’s living room but looking to levitate over the LA skyline.

"I think the long-standing impact of that photograph is due to the way it conveys an notion about living in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both urban and detached from it," said a founder of an architectural practice and educator at a major university.

Historic Status

The home has made notable cameos in cinema, television 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 added as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Custodianship

The home is still open for public viewings, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all appointments are currently reserved through February. In their release announcing the sale, the family indicated they would give "ample notice" before discontinuing the tours.

The sales details for the home emphasizes finding a purchaser who will conserve the spirit of the space.

"For collectors of design, advocates of architecture, or entities seeking to preserve an national treasure, there is simply no parallel," the description state. "This is more than a sale; it is a transfer of stewardship – a quest for the next custodian who will respect the house’s history, appreciate its architectural purity, and guarantee its conservation for posterity."

The expert affirmed 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 being sold of a home like this, it always gives us a little bit of a hesitation – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their plans will be. And do they grasp and appreciate the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"