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The celebrated Stahl house, a epitome of midcentury modern architectural design, is now available for the first time in its entire history.

This cantilevered home, nestled in the Hollywood Hills area, hit the market this past week. The asking price stands at a substantial $25 million.

Owners Choice to Part With

The Stahl family, who have held title to the home for its entire 65-year existence, shared a declaration regarding their decision to sell. They stated that the house had grown too difficult to care for.

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

They continued that the moment had arrived to find a new "custodian" for the house – "someone who not only recognizes its architectural significance but also comprehends its role in the cultural landscape of the city and beyond."

Modest Beginnings

The beginnings of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the first owners bought a hilly plot of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills area for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house growing into a well-known symbol of the city, the residents often stressed that "nobody famous ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "working-class family living in a luxury house."

Design Challenge

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

In November 1957, the owners interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to take on the project. With backing from the notable Case Study program, led by a prominent magazine editor, the Stahls received subsidies to hire Koenig.

The contemporary program "focused on experimentation" and "employing new resources and building in places that maybe previously the engineering didn’t really permit," commented an expert from a city preservation society. "Each of these factors are wrapped up into a site like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, progressive and inconceivable in terms of how it was built on that plot that everyone else thought, at the time, was unbuildable."

Completion and Famous Legacy

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and building commenced in May 1959. According to the owners, construction amounted to "a mere $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The result was "a perfect representation of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the authority commented.

Soon after the build ended, a celebrated architectural photographer took what is arguably the most well-known photograph of the home. Shot through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the image shows two women positioned in the home’s living room but seeming to hover over the city skyline.

"I think the enduring effect of this image is due to the way it expresses an idea about dwelling in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both urban and removed from it," stated a principal of an architectural company and educator at a leading university.

Protected Designation

The home has enjoyed historic features in film, television and videos, including several well-known 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 conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Ownership

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

The property description for the home emphasizes finding a purchaser who will conserve the spirit of the space.

"For connoisseurs of style, patrons of architecture, or entities seeking to protect an iconic work, there is simply no parallel," the listing read. "This is more than a purchase; it is a handover of custody – a hunt for the next guardian who will honor the house’s history, appreciate its design integrity, and ensure its protection for generations to come."

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

"In my view any time a longtime owner, and a stewardship like this, is being sold of a property like this, it always gives us a little bit of a pause – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And will they comprehend and appreciate the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"