🔗 Share this article

The famous Stahl house, a paragon of modernist design, is currently listed for the very first time in its complete history.

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

Family Choice to Sell

The Stahl family, who have owned the residence for its complete 65-year history, released a announcement regarding their resolution to sell. They noted that the property had proven excessively demanding to upkeep.

"This home has been the core of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve aged, it has become more difficult to maintain it with the care and effort it so rightfully warrants," stated the children of the initial owners.

They added that the time had arrived to find a new "custodian" for the house – "someone who not only appreciates its architectural importance but also comprehends its role in the cultural fabric of Los Angeles and further afield."

Unassuming Beginnings

The beginnings of the Stahl house trace back to May 1954, when the first owners purchased a sloped patch of land in the previously undeveloped Hollywood Hills district for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a famous icon of the city, the family often emphasized that "no famous individuals ever lived here," describing themselves as a "average family living in a luxury house."

Construction Feat

The original design for the Stahl house was created during the summer of 1956. However, many builders were at first reluctant to erect it on the difficult hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to accept the task. With assistance from the prominent Case Study program, led by a leading magazine editor, the family received subsidies to engage Koenig.

The contemporary program "was about innovation" and "employing new building materials and constructing in places that maybe previously the engineering didn’t really permit," commented an authority from a city heritage organization. "All those things are integrated into a place like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, progressive and unthinkable in terms of how it was erected on that plot that everyone else believed, at the time, was impossible to build."

Completion and Iconic Impact

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and work started in May 1959. According to the family, construction cost "a mere $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The result was "an idealized version of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the expert noted.

Soon after the build ended, a famous architectural photographer took what is arguably the most famous picture of the home. Shot through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the image depicts two women sitting in the home’s living room but seeming to float over the Los Angeles skyline.

"In my opinion the enduring effect of this image is due to the way it expresses an concept about dwelling in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both metropolitan and removed from it," said a founder of an architectural firm and adjunct professor at a leading university.

Protected Recognition

The home has enjoyed notable cameos in film, TV and music videos, including several popular titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city designated the Stahl house a protected monument, and in 2013, the house was added as a preserved site on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Stewardship

The home continues to be open for visits, as it has been for the last 17 years, although all appointments are currently fully booked through February. In their statement regarding the sale, the family indicated they would give "ample notice" before discontinuing the tours.

The sales details for the home stresses finding a buyer who will maintain the spirit of the space.

"For enthusiasts of design, advocates of architecture, or organizations seeking to protect an American masterpiece, there is simply nothing comparable," the description read. "This is more than a sale; it is a passing of responsibility – a search for the next custodian who will respect the house’s history, respect its architectural purity, and ensure its conservation for posterity."

The expert agreed that the decision of new owner would be a crucial one, given the home’s legacy.

"I think any time a longtime owner, and a custodianship like this, is being sold of a residence like this, it always gives us a little bit of a pause – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And do they grasp and value the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"