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The famous Stahl house, a paragon of mid-century modern architectural design, is up for sale for the first time in its complete history.

This overhanging dwelling, perched in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, appeared on the market this week. The price tag stands at a notable $25 million.

Family Decision to Sell

The Stahl family, who have owned the home for its full 65-year history, issued a statement regarding their decision to sell. They noted that the house had grown excessively demanding to care for.

"This house has been the center of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve aged, it has become progressively harder to look after it with the attention and vigor it so truly merits," commented the descendants of the original owners.

They further stated that the period had arrived to find a new "guardian" for the house – "someone who not only recognizes its design legacy but also understands its position in the cultural landscape of LA and beyond."

Unassuming Beginnings

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

Despite the Stahl house growing into a renowned representation of the city, the family often emphasized that "no celebrities ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "average family living in a luxury house."

Architectural Feat

The initial design for the Stahl house was created during the warm season of 1956. However, many builders were at first wary to erect it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to accept the task. With assistance from the influential Case Study program, led by a leading magazine editor, the owners received subsidies to hire Koenig.

The progressive program "focused on experimentation" and "employing new resources and erecting in places that maybe previously the technology didn’t really permit," remarked an authority from a regional conservancy. "All these elements are integrated into a property like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, contemporary and unthinkable in terms of how it was erected on that site that everyone else believed, at the time, was unbuildable."

Completion and Cultural Influence

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and building began in May 1959. According to the owners, construction cost "only $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The result was "the ultimate vision of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the specialist noted.

Soon after completion, a celebrated architectural photographer took what is possibly the most iconic picture of the home. Taken through the enormous glass windows, the photograph depicts two women sitting in the home’s living room but appearing to hover over the LA skyline.

"I believe the lasting influence of the photograph is due to the way it expresses an notion about dwelling in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both urban and separate from it," said a founder of an architectural company and educator at a prominent university.

Cultural Recognition

The home has made memorable appearances in cinema, TV and promos, 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 added as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Stewardship

The home remains open for tours, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all tours are currently sold out through February. In their announcement regarding the sale, the family said they would give "sufficient warning" before discontinuing the tours.

The property description for the home stresses finding a purchaser who will preserve the spirit of the space.

"For collectors of style, advocates of building, or institutions seeking to protect an national treasure, there is simply no parallel," the listing say. "This is not merely a sale; it is a transfer of stewardship – a quest for the next custodian who will honor the house’s history, appreciate its original vision, and ensure its protection for generations to come."

The specialist concurred that the decision of purchaser would be a vital one, given the home’s history.

"I think any time a original family, and a custodianship like this, is transferring hands of a home like this, it always creates a little bit of a pause – because you never know what the next owner, what their plans will be. And will they comprehend and cherish the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"