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The famous Stahl house, a epitome of modernist architectural design, is now available for the very first time in its complete history.

This cantilevered residence, nestled in the Hollywood Hills area, hit the listings this week. The price tag stands at a notable $25 million.

Owners Decision to Part With

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the residence for its entire 65-year existence, shared a declaration regarding their choice to sell. They expressed that the property had proven increasingly challenging to care for.

"This house has been the center of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become increasingly challenging to look after it with the care and effort it so truly merits," stated the descendants of the first owners.

They continued that the time had come to find a new "custodian" for the house – "a person who not only values its architectural importance but also grasps its place in the cultural fabric of Los Angeles and further afield."

Humble Beginnings

The inception of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the original owners purchased a mountainous patch of land in the previously undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a well-known representation of the city, the residents often stressed that "no famous individuals ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "average family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Construction Undertaking

The original design for the Stahl house was developed during the summer months of 1956. However, many designers were at first hesitant to build it on the difficult hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to take on the project. With backing from the prominent Case Study program, pioneered by a leading magazine editor, the family received financial aid to commission Koenig.

The modernist program "was about innovation" and "utilizing new materials and building in places that maybe previously the engineering didn’t really allow," remarked an authority from a local preservation society. "All those things are wrapped up into a property like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, contemporary and unthinkable in terms of how it was constructed on that site that everyone else considered, at the time, was not feasible."

Finalization and Famous Legacy

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and work began 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 imagines LA is and should be," the authority noted.

Soon after construction was finished, a famous architectural photographer captured what is arguably the most well-known photograph of the home. Shot through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photo features two women positioned in the home’s living room but appearing to hover over the city skyline.

"I believe the long-standing effect of the photo is due to the way it conveys an idea about dwelling in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both in the city and separate from it," said a head of an architectural company and educator at a major university.

Protected Status

The home has enjoyed memorable 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 heritage site, and in 2013, the house was included as a preserved site on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coming Ownership

The home continues to be open for public viewings, as it has been for the last 17 years, although all tours are currently sold out through February. In their announcement concerning the sale, the family indicated they would give "plenty of advance notice" before ending the tours.

The listing for the home highlights finding a purchaser who will maintain the character of the space.

"For enthusiasts of architecture, supporters of architecture, or organizations seeking to protect an iconic work, there is simply no parallel," the details state. "This is more than a sale; it is a transfer of stewardship – a search for the next custodian who will celebrate the house’s history, appreciate its original vision, and guarantee its conservation for generations to come."

The expert agreed that the choice of buyer would be a critical one, given the home’s past.

"I believe any time a long-term steward, and a stewardship like this, is being sold of a residence like this, it always causes a little bit of a hesitation – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And do they understand and appreciate the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"