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The famous Stahl house, a epitome of midcentury modern architectural design, is up for sale for the initial occasion in its entire history.

This suspended residence, situated in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, was listed on the market this week. The price tag stands at a notable $25 million.

Family Move to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have held title to the home for its full 65-year existence, released a declaration regarding their decision to sell. They noted that the property had become increasingly challenging to maintain.

"This residence has been the center of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve grown older, it has become more difficult to care for it with the care and vigor it so richly deserves," stated the children of the first owners.

They further stated that the period had come to find a new "guardian" for the house – "someone who not only appreciates its architectural importance but also comprehends its place in the cultural fabric of LA and further afield."

Unassuming Beginnings

The origins of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the original owners purchased a hilly patch of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a well-known symbol of the city, the owners often emphasized that "no celebrities ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "working-class family living in a white-collar house."

Construction Undertaking

The original design for the Stahl house was developed during the summer months of 1956. However, many architects were at first wary to erect it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the family consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to take on the task. With backing from the notable Case Study program, led by a key magazine editor, the owners received support to engage Koenig.

The contemporary program "centered around innovation" and "utilizing new building materials and erecting in places that maybe before the techniques didn’t really allow," remarked an specialist from a local heritage organization. "Each of these factors are combined into a property like the Stahl house, which was innovative, progressive and unthinkable in terms of how it was built on that plot that everyone else thought, at the time, was not feasible."

Completion and Famous Legacy

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and construction commenced in May 1959. According to the owners, construction amounted to "just $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 authority noted.

Soon after construction was finished, a famous architectural photographer took what is arguably the most iconic photograph of the home. Shot through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photograph features two women positioned in the home’s living room but looking to hover over the Los Angeles skyline.

"I believe the enduring influence of this photograph is due to the way it communicates an notion about living in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both in the city and removed from it," stated a founder of an architectural practice and lecturer at a major university.

Historic Status

The home has had historic features in cinema, broadcast and promos, including several famous 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 conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Stewardship

The home is still open for public viewings, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all tours are currently reserved through February. In their statement concerning the sale, the family stated they would give "sufficient warning" before stopping the tours.

The property description for the home highlights finding a purchaser who will preserve the character of the space.

"For connoisseurs of style, advocates of design, or entities seeking to protect an national treasure, there is simply no parallel," the details read. "This is more than a purchase; it is a handover of custody – a hunt for the next custodian who will respect the house’s past, respect its architectural purity, and guarantee its protection for posterity."

The expert affirmed that the selection of purchaser would be a critical one, given the home’s history.

"I believe any time a longtime owner, and a guardianship like this, is being sold of a home like this, it always creates a little bit of a concern – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And will they grasp and cherish the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"