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

This overhanging dwelling, nestled in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, hit the real estate market this past week. The asking price stands at a notable $25 million.

Family Move to Sell

The Stahl family, who have held title to the property for its entire 65-year existence, issued a statement regarding their choice to sell. They expressed that the property had grown too difficult to care for.

"This house has been the heart of our lives for many years, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become progressively harder to care for it with the dedication and vigor it so truly merits," stated the offspring of the original owners.

They added that the moment had emerged to find a new "steward" for the house – "an individual who not only appreciates its design legacy but also grasps its role in the cultural history of the city and further afield."

Unassuming Beginnings

The inception of the Stahl house trace back to May 1954, when the first owners acquired a sloped parcel of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills district for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house becoming a famous symbol of the city, the residents often emphasized that "nobody famous ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "average family living in a luxury house."

Design Feat

The first design for the Stahl house was created during the summer months of 1956. However, many builders were originally hesitant to build it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the owners interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to undertake the challenge. With backing from the notable Case Study program, led by a key magazine editor, the family received financial aid to engage Koenig.

The progressive program "centered around experimentation" and "using new resources and building in sites that maybe previously the technology didn’t really allow," commented an specialist from a local preservation society. "All those things are combined into a site like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, contemporary and inconceivable in terms of how it was built on that site that everyone else considered, at the time, was not feasible."

Realization and Cultural Influence

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and work started in May 1959. According to the family, construction totaled "just $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The final product was "the ultimate vision of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the specialist added.

Soon after completion, a celebrated architectural photographer shot what is arguably the most iconic image of the home. Taken through the full-length glass windows, the image depicts two women seated in the home’s living room but appearing to hover over the LA skyline.

"I think the long-standing influence of this photograph is due to the way it expresses an notion about residing in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both urban and separate from it," commented a head of an architectural practice and educator at a major university.

Cultural Recognition

The home has enjoyed memorable cameos in cinema, television and music videos, including several popular titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city recognized the Stahl house a historic-cultural landmark, and in 2013, the house was added as a preserved site on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coming Custodianship

The home remains open for tours, as it has been for the last 17 years, although all slots are currently sold out through February. In their statement regarding the sale, the family indicated they would give "plenty of advance notice" before ending the tours.

The listing for the home emphasizes finding a new owner who will conserve the essence of the space.

"For connoisseurs of style, advocates of design, or entities seeking to preserve an iconic work, there is simply no equal," the description read. "This is not merely a sale; it is a transfer of stewardship – a search for the next custodian who will celebrate the house’s past, value its original vision, and guarantee its protection for future generations."

The expert affirmed that the selection of buyer would be a crucial one, given the home’s past.

"In my view any time a original family, and a custodianship like this, is being sold of a property like this, it always causes a little bit of a pause – because you never know what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And will they understand and appreciate the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"