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The famous Stahl house, a epitome of mid-century modern architecture, is up for sale for the initial occasion in its complete history.

This overhanging home, situated in the Hollywood Hills area, was listed on the listings this week. The asking price stands at a substantial $25 million.

Stewards Move to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have held title to the residence for its full 65-year history, issued a announcement regarding their resolution to sell. They expressed that the dwelling had proven increasingly challenging to care for.

"This residence has been the center of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve grown older, it has become more difficult to care for it with the attention and vigor it so truly merits," commented the offspring of the initial owners.

They added that the period had come to find a new "custodian" for the house – "someone who not only appreciates its architectural significance but also grasps its place in the cultural landscape of the city and elsewhere."

Modest Origins

The origins of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the original owners purchased a hilly patch of land in the at the time undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house becoming a renowned symbol of the city, the owners often stressed that "nobody famous ever lived here," describing themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a white-collar house."

Construction Feat

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

In November 1957, the Stahls interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to accept the challenge. With support from the notable Case Study program, spearheaded by a leading magazine editor, the owners received support to engage Koenig.

The modernist program "was about trial and error" and "employing new building materials and building in places that maybe previously the engineering didn’t really allow," commented an authority from a city conservancy. "All these elements are combined into a property like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, contemporary and unthinkable in terms of how it was erected on that site that everyone else believed, at the time, was not feasible."

Completion and Cultural Legacy

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

Soon after completion, a famous architectural photographer shot what is perhaps the most famous picture of the home. Taken through the full-length glass windows, the image depicts two women seated in the home’s living room but looking to hover over the Los Angeles skyline.

"I believe the long-standing effect of this photograph is due to the way it conveys an idea about residing in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both urban and separate from it," said a head of an architectural company and lecturer at a major university.

Protected Recognition

The home has had memorable cameos in film, broadcast and music videos, including several famous titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city declared the Stahl house a historic-cultural landmark, and in 2013, the house was added as a protected property on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Ownership

The home remains open for tours, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all slots are currently fully booked through February. In their announcement regarding the sale, the family said they would give "ample notice" before ending the tours.

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

"For collectors of design, patrons of building, or entities seeking to preserve an national treasure, there is simply nothing comparable," the description say. "This goes beyond a transaction; it is a handover of custody – a quest for the next guardian who will celebrate the house’s history, value its design integrity, and ensure its conservation for posterity."

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

"I believe any time a original family, and a custodianship like this, is transferring hands of a property 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 will they grasp and appreciate the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"