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The renowned Stahl house, a quintessential example of midcentury modern design, is currently listed for the initial occasion in its complete history.

This overhanging residence, nestled in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, appeared on the market this past week. The listing price stands at a substantial $25 million.

Owners Choice to Sell

The Stahl family, who have held title to the property for its complete 65-year timeline, shared a statement regarding their decision to sell. They stated that the house had proven excessively demanding to maintain.

"This house has been the core of our lives for decades, but as we’ve grown older, it has become more difficult to care for it with the care and vigor it so rightfully warrants," wrote the offspring of the first owners.

They further stated that the period had arrived to find a new "custodian" for the house – "a person who not only values its design legacy but also grasps its position in the cultural history of the city and further afield."

Humble Beginnings

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

Despite the Stahl house growing into a renowned representation of the city, the family often stressed that "nobody famous ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "average family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Design Challenge

The original design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer of 1956. However, many builders were at first hesitant to erect it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to undertake the task. With assistance from the influential Case Study program, pioneered by a prominent magazine editor, the owners received subsidies to commission Koenig.

The contemporary program "focused on experimentation" and "employing new resources and building in locations that maybe previously the engineering didn’t really enable," commented an specialist from a city heritage organization. "All these elements are wrapped up into a place like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, contemporary and unthinkable in terms of how it was built on that location that everyone else considered, at the time, was impossible to build."

Completion and Famous Impact

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and work commenced in May 1959. According to the owners, construction totaled "only $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The final product was "an idealized version of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the expert added.

Soon after completion, a renowned architectural photographer took what is possibly the most well-known picture of the home. Taken through the full-length glass windows, the image features two women positioned in the home’s living room but seeming to hover over the Los Angeles skyline.

"In my opinion the long-standing effect of the photograph is due to the way it communicates an idea about dwelling in Los Angeles, an duality about being both metropolitan and detached from it," said a founder of an architectural company and lecturer at a prominent university.

Protected Designation

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

In 1999, the city recognized the Stahl house a protected monument, and in 2013, the house was listed as a preserved site on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Ownership

The home continues to be open for public viewings, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all slots are currently fully booked through February. In their statement announcing the sale, the family said they would give "sufficient warning" before discontinuing the tours.

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

"For enthusiasts of design, advocates of building, or organizations seeking to preserve an national treasure, there is simply no equal," the description say. "This goes beyond a sale; it is a handover of custody – a search for the next custodian who will celebrate the house’s history, value its architectural purity, and guarantee its preservation for posterity."

The expert affirmed that the selection of buyer would be a crucial one, given the home’s past.

"In my view any time a longtime owner, and a guardianship like this, is being sold of a residence like this, it always causes a little bit of a hesitation – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their aims will be. And will they comprehend and value the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"