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The famous Stahl house, a paragon of modernist architectural design, is currently listed for the first time in its entire history.

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

Stewards Move to Sell

The Stahl family, who have held title to the home for its complete 65-year timeline, released a announcement regarding their choice to sell. They noted that the dwelling had grown too difficult to maintain.

"This house has been the center of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve grown older, it has become progressively harder to maintain it with the care and energy it so richly deserves," wrote the descendants of the first owners.

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

Humble Origins

The inception of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the first owners purchased a hilly plot of land in the at the time undeveloped Hollywood Hills district for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house becoming a renowned representation of the city, the residents often pointed out that "no celebrities ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "average family living in a luxury house."

Architectural Challenge

The first design for the Stahl house was conceived during the warm season of 1956. However, many designers were originally hesitant to build it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the owners consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to take on the task. With support from the prominent Case Study program, pioneered by a leading magazine editor, the Stahls received support to commission Koenig.

The progressive program "focused on trial and error" and "using new materials and building in locations that maybe previously the techniques didn’t really permit," commented an specialist from a city conservancy. "Each of these factors are wrapped up into a site like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, contemporary and unimaginable in terms of how it was erected on that plot that everyone else thought, at the time, was impossible to build."

Finalization and Famous Legacy

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and work commenced in May 1959. According to the family, construction amounted to "a mere $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The outcome was "an idealized version of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the authority commented.

Soon after completion, a renowned architectural photographer took what is perhaps the most famous picture of the home. Shot through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the image shows two women positioned in the home’s living room but appearing to levitate over the Los Angeles skyline.

"I think the lasting effect of this image is due to the way it expresses an notion about dwelling in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both metropolitan and detached from it," commented a founder of an architectural practice and adjunct professor at a major university.

Historic Recognition

The home has enjoyed historic features in film, broadcast and videos, including several popular 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 included as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Custodianship

The home remains open for tours, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all appointments are currently reserved through February. In their statement announcing the sale, the family indicated they would give "sufficient warning" before stopping the tours.

The listing for the home highlights finding a buyer who will maintain the essence of the space.

"For collectors of design, supporters of architecture, or institutions seeking to safeguard an iconic work, there is simply no equal," the listing say. "This is not merely a transaction; it is a handover of custody – a quest for the next steward who will respect the house’s past, value its architectural purity, and ensure its preservation for future generations."

The expert agreed that the choice of new owner would be a crucial one, given the home’s past.

"I believe any time a original family, and a custodianship like this, is being sold of a residence like this, it always gives us a little bit of a pause – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their plans will be. And will they grasp and cherish the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"