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The renowned Stahl house, a quintessential example of modernist architectural design, is up for sale for the very first time in its complete history.

This suspended dwelling, perched in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, hit the real estate market this week. The asking price stands at a notable $25 million.

Family Move to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have owned the property for its entire 65-year timeline, issued a statement regarding their choice to sell. They noted that the property had proven increasingly challenging to upkeep.

"This home has been the core 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 effort it so richly deserves," wrote the offspring of the first owners.

They continued that the time had emerged to find a new "guardian" for the house – "a person who not only appreciates its architectural significance but also comprehends its place in the cultural landscape of the city and further afield."

Unassuming Inception

The origins of the Stahl house go back to May 1954, when the first owners acquired a mountainous plot of land in the at the time undeveloped Hollywood Hills area for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house becoming a famous symbol of the city, the family often emphasized that "no famous individuals ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "average family living in a white-collar house."

Architectural Undertaking

The initial design for the Stahl house was created during the summer months of 1956. However, many builders were originally hesitant to construct it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the family met with architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to undertake the challenge. With assistance from the notable Case Study program, pioneered by a key magazine editor, the owners received subsidies to hire Koenig.

The contemporary program "focused on trial and error" and "employing new building materials and erecting in sites that maybe before the technology didn’t really enable," remarked an authority from a city heritage organization. "Each of these factors are combined into a property like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, progressive and unimaginable in terms of how it was built on that location that everyone else considered, at the time, was unbuildable."

Realization and Iconic Influence

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and work began in May 1959. According to the owners, construction cost "only $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The result was "an idealized version of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the expert added.

Soon after construction was finished, a celebrated architectural photographer shot what is arguably the most iconic image of the home. Captured through the full-length glass windows, the photograph features two women seated in the home’s living room but looking to levitate over the LA skyline.

"I think the lasting influence of the photo is due to the way it conveys an notion about residing in Los Angeles, an duality about being both urban and removed from it," commented a principal of an architectural firm and educator at a major university.

Cultural Recognition

The home has made historic features in cinema, TV and videos, including several well-known titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city recognized the Stahl house a historic-cultural landmark, and in 2013, the house was listed as a preserved site 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 slots are currently sold out through February. In their release announcing the sale, the family stated they would give "sufficient warning" before ending the tours.

The sales details for the home stresses finding a new owner who will conserve the essence of the space.

"For connoisseurs of architecture, patrons of design, or institutions seeking to preserve an iconic work, there is simply no equal," the listing read. "This is more than a sale; it is a passing of responsibility – a quest for the next custodian who will celebrate the house’s history, respect its architectural purity, and secure its conservation for future generations."

The expert concurred that the selection of new owner would be a crucial one, given the home’s legacy.

"I believe any time a long-term steward, and a stewardship like this, is being sold of a home like this, it always creates a little bit of a hesitation – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their plans will be. And will they grasp and value the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"