🔗 Share this article

The celebrated Stahl house, a paragon of mid-century modern design, is currently listed for the very first time in its whole history.

This overhanging residence, nestled in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, was listed on the real estate market this week. The price tag stands at an impressive $25 million.

Owners Move to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the home for its full 65-year existence, issued a announcement regarding their decision to sell. They stated that the house had proven increasingly challenging to maintain.

"This house has been the heart of our lives for many years, but as we’ve aged, it has become more difficult to look after it with the attention and vigor it so rightfully warrants," stated the descendants of the initial owners.

They added that the period had arrived to find a new "steward" for the house – "someone who not only recognizes its architectural importance but also understands its place in the cultural landscape of Los Angeles and elsewhere."

Humble Origins

The inception of the Stahl house trace back to May 1954, when the original owners acquired a mountainous patch of land in the at the time undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a renowned icon of the city, the family often pointed out that "no famous individuals ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "working-class family living in a white-collar house."

Construction Challenge

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

In November 1957, the family met with architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to accept the challenge. With assistance from the prominent Case Study program, pioneered by a leading magazine editor, the family received support to engage Koenig.

The contemporary program "centered around innovation" and "utilizing new resources and erecting in places that maybe previously the techniques didn’t really enable," remarked an specialist from a city preservation society. "Each of these factors are integrated into a property like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, contemporary and unimaginable in terms of how it was built on that plot that everyone else thought, at the time, was impossible to build."

Completion and Cultural Impact

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and work started in May 1959. According to the residents, construction totaled "a mere $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The outcome was "an idealized version of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the authority commented.

Soon after construction was finished, a famous architectural photographer shot what is possibly the most famous image of the home. Shot through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photo depicts two women sitting in the home’s living room but seeming to levitate over the LA skyline.

"I believe the enduring impact of this image is due to the way it conveys an notion about residing in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both metropolitan and detached from it," commented a principal of an architectural practice and educator at a prominent university.

Cultural Designation

The home has enjoyed historic features in film, broadcast and videos, including several famous titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city recognized the Stahl house a heritage site, and in 2013, the house was included as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coming Custodianship

The home remains open for public viewings, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all slots are currently fully booked through February. In their release announcing the sale, the family stated they would give "ample notice" before stopping the tours.

The sales details for the home highlights finding a purchaser who will preserve the spirit of the space.

"For connoisseurs of style, advocates of architecture, or entities seeking to preserve an iconic work, there is simply no parallel," the details state. "This goes beyond a purchase; it is a passing of responsibility – a quest for the next custodian who will honor the house’s legacy, respect its design integrity, and secure its conservation for posterity."

The expert concurred that the selection of new owner would be a crucial one, given the home’s history.

"In my view any time a original family, and a guardianship like this, is transferring hands of a residence like this, it always causes a little bit of a hesitation – because you never know what the next owner, what their aims will be. And will they grasp and appreciate the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"