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The famous Stahl house, a epitome of modernist architecture, is currently listed for the very first time in its entire history.

This cantilevered dwelling, situated in the Hollywood Hills area, appeared on the listings this week. The listing price stands at an impressive $25 million.

Family Move to Part With

The Stahl family, who have owned the home for its entire 65-year existence, shared a statement regarding their resolution to sell. They noted that the dwelling had become excessively demanding to maintain.

"This home has been the heart of our lives for decades, but as we’ve grown older, it has become more difficult to maintain it with the care and effort it so rightfully warrants," wrote the children of the first 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 understands its role in the cultural fabric of Los Angeles and elsewhere."

Unassuming Beginnings

The origins of the Stahl house trace back to May 1954, when the original owners bought a hilly plot of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

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

Architectural Challenge

The initial design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer of 1956. However, many builders were initially reluctant to erect it on the difficult hillside.

In November 1957, the family interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to accept the challenge. With assistance from the prominent Case Study program, pioneered by a leading magazine editor, the family received subsidies to engage Koenig.

The contemporary program "centered around trial and error" and "employing new building materials and constructing in locations that maybe before the technology didn’t really permit," remarked an specialist from a local preservation society. "Each of these factors are combined into a property like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, progressive and unthinkable in terms of how it was built on that site that everyone else thought, at the time, was not feasible."

Completion and Famous Impact

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and building started in May 1959. According to the residents, construction cost "only $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The result was "a perfect representation of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the specialist commented.

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

"In my opinion the enduring impact of that photograph is due to the way it communicates an notion about living in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both urban and removed from it," stated a head of an architectural firm and educator at a leading university.

Historic Status

The home has enjoyed notable appearances in cinema, broadcast and promos, including several well-known titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

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

Next Custodianship

The home continues to be open for tours, as it has been for the last 17 years, although all appointments are currently fully booked through February. In their release announcing the sale, the family said they would give "ample notice" before discontinuing the tours.

The listing for the home emphasizes finding a buyer who will conserve the character of the space.

"For connoisseurs of style, advocates of design, or organizations seeking to safeguard an national treasure, there is simply nothing comparable," the details say. "This is more than a purchase; it is a passing of responsibility – a hunt for the next steward who will respect the house’s legacy, value its architectural purity, and secure its protection for generations to come."

The specialist agreed that the choice of purchaser would be a crucial one, given the home’s past.

"In my view any time a original family, and a stewardship like this, is changing ownership of a residence like this, it always gives us a little bit of a hesitation – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And can they comprehend and cherish the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"