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The renowned Stahl house, a quintessential example of modernist architectural design, is now available for the very first time in its entire history.

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

Family Decision to Part With

The Stahl family, who have held title to the residence for its full 65-year existence, issued a announcement regarding their resolution to sell. They expressed that the property had proven increasingly challenging to care for.

"This house has been the heart of our lives for decades, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become progressively harder to maintain it with the dedication and energy it so rightfully warrants," wrote the offspring of the original owners.

They added that the moment had arrived to find a new "custodian" for the house – "an individual who not only values its design legacy but also grasps its place in the cultural fabric of the city and elsewhere."

Unassuming Inception

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

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a renowned icon of the city, the family often emphasized that "no famous individuals ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a white-collar house."

Architectural Undertaking

The first design for the Stahl house was developed during the warm season of 1956. However, many designers were at first hesitant to construct it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to undertake the task. With assistance from the prominent Case Study program, led by a leading magazine editor, the family received support to hire Koenig.

The progressive program "centered around innovation" and "utilizing new building materials and erecting in sites that maybe before the engineering didn’t really allow," remarked an authority from a local heritage organization. "All these elements are wrapped up into a place like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, modern and unimaginable in terms of how it was built on that plot that everyone else considered, at the time, was unbuildable."

Finalization and Iconic Influence

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and work began in May 1959. According to the residents, construction cost "just $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The final product was "an idealized version of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the authority added.

Soon after construction was finished, a renowned architectural photographer took what is perhaps the most famous photograph of the home. Captured through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photograph features two women seated in the home’s living room but seeming to levitate over the city skyline.

"I believe the lasting effect of that photograph is due to the way it expresses an idea about dwelling in Los Angeles, an duality about being both metropolitan and separate from it," stated a head of an architectural company and educator at a major university.

Protected Designation

The home has enjoyed memorable features in cinema, TV and promos, including several popular 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 listed as a preserved site on the National Register of Historic Places.

Future Stewardship

The home is still open for public viewings, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all tours are currently sold out through February. In their announcement concerning the sale, the family indicated they would give "plenty of advance notice" before ending the tours.

The listing for the home stresses finding a new owner who will maintain the character of the space.

"For enthusiasts of design, patrons of architecture, or entities seeking to preserve an iconic work, there is simply no parallel," the listing state. "This is more than a sale; it is a handover of custody – a search for the next guardian who will respect the house’s history, appreciate its design integrity, and secure its conservation for future generations."

The authority concurred that the decision of purchaser would be a crucial one, given the home’s past.

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