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

This suspended dwelling, nestled in the Hollywood Hills area, appeared on the listings this past week. The price tag stands at an impressive $25 million.

Owners Choice to Part With

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the residence for its full 65-year history, issued a statement regarding their choice to sell. They noted that the house had become too difficult to care for.

"This residence has been the heart of our lives for many years, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become increasingly challenging to look after it with the care and effort it so truly merits," wrote the offspring of the first owners.

They added that the moment had come to find a new "guardian" for the house – "a person who not only values its design legacy but also grasps its role in the cultural history of the city and beyond."

Humble Inception

The origins of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the initial owners purchased a sloped patch 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 emphasized that "no famous individuals ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Construction Challenge

The first design for the Stahl house was developed during the summer months of 1956. However, many architects were initially reluctant to build it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the owners consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to take on the challenge. With assistance from the notable Case Study program, spearheaded by a leading magazine editor, the Stahls received financial aid to engage Koenig.

The contemporary program "was about experimentation" and "utilizing new materials and building in sites that maybe earlier the techniques didn’t really enable," stated an authority from a regional preservation society. "All those things are wrapped up into a property like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, modern and unthinkable in terms of how it was built on that location that everyone else thought, at the time, was impossible to build."

Realization and Cultural Influence

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and work commenced in May 1959. According to the family, construction cost "only $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The result was "a perfect representation of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the authority commented.

Soon after completion, a renowned architectural photographer captured what is possibly the most well-known picture of the home. Captured through the enormous glass windows, the image shows two women seated in the home’s living room but looking to levitate over the LA skyline.

"I think the enduring effect of this photograph is due to the way it expresses an concept about residing in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both metropolitan and detached from it," said a founder of an architectural firm and adjunct professor at a leading university.

Protected Status

The home has enjoyed memorable features in movies, broadcast and videos, including several well-known titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city declared the Stahl house a heritage site, and in 2013, the house was listed as a protected property on the National Register of Historic Places.

Future Stewardship

The home is still open for visits, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all slots are currently sold out through February. In their announcement concerning the sale, the family stated they would give "ample notice" before stopping the tours.

The listing for the home stresses finding a buyer who will preserve the essence of the space.

"For connoisseurs of architecture, patrons of building, or institutions seeking to preserve an national treasure, there is simply no parallel," the details read. "This goes beyond a purchase; it is a passing of responsibility – a quest for the next custodian who will respect the house’s history, value its architectural purity, and guarantee its conservation for future generations."

The specialist agreed that the choice of new owner would be a critical one, given the home’s history.

"I believe any time a long-term steward, and a guardianship like this, is transferring hands of a property like this, it always creates a little bit of a concern – because you are unsure 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?"