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The celebrated Stahl house, a paragon of modernist architectural design, is currently listed for the initial occasion in its complete history.

This cantilevered home, situated in the Hollywood Hills, hit the listings this past week. The price tag stands at a notable $25 million.

Owners Move to Sell

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the property for its entire 65-year existence, issued a announcement regarding their choice to sell. They noted that the property had become too difficult to upkeep.

"This residence has been the center of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve aged, it has become more difficult to look after it with the dedication and vigor it so richly deserves," wrote the offspring of the initial owners.

They further stated that the moment had arrived to find a new "steward" for the house – "a person who not only appreciates its design legacy but also understands its position in the cultural fabric of LA and further afield."

Modest Inception

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

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a renowned representation of the city, the residents often pointed out that "no celebrities ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Construction Feat

The initial design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer of 1956. However, many builders were at first reluctant to construct it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls met with architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to take on the project. With backing from the notable Case Study program, led by a prominent magazine editor, the owners received financial aid to commission Koenig.

The modernist program "centered around trial and error" and "using new building materials and building in places that maybe earlier the technology didn’t really permit," commented an expert from a local heritage organization. "Each of these factors are wrapped up into a property like the Stahl house, which was innovative, modern and unimaginable in terms of how it was erected on that site that everyone else believed, at the time, was impossible to build."

Realization and Famous Impact

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and work started in May 1959. According to the owners, construction totaled "only $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The final product was "the ultimate vision of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the authority commented.

Soon after completion, a famous architectural photographer took what is perhaps the most famous picture of the home. Shot through the full-length glass windows, the image features two women positioned in the home’s living room but looking to float over the city skyline.

"In my opinion the lasting impact of that photo is due to the way it conveys an idea about dwelling in Los Angeles, an duality about being both urban and separate from it," stated a head of an architectural firm and adjunct professor at a prominent university.

Protected Recognition

The home has had historic appearances in cinema, broadcast and promos, including several well-known titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city declared the Stahl house a historic-cultural landmark, and in 2013, the house was included as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coming Stewardship

The home is still open for visits, 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 said they would give "ample notice" before ending the tours.

The property description for the home emphasizes finding a purchaser who will conserve the essence of the space.

"For collectors of design, patrons of architecture, or organizations seeking to preserve an national treasure, there is simply nothing comparable," the details state. "This is more than a sale; it is a transfer of stewardship – a quest for the next custodian who will celebrate the house’s past, value its original vision, and secure its protection for posterity."

The specialist concurred that the selection of new owner would be a vital one, given the home’s past.

"I believe any time a original family, and a stewardship like this, is changing ownership of a home like this, it always gives us a little bit of a pause – because you never know what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And will they grasp and appreciate the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"