🔗 Share this article

The renowned Stahl house, a epitome of mid-century modern architectural design, is up for sale for the very first time in its entire history.

This overhanging residence, perched in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, hit the listings this week. The listing price stands at a substantial $25 million.

Owners Decision to Part With

The Stahl family, who have owned the home for its full 65-year existence, shared a declaration regarding their resolution to sell. They noted that the house had become too difficult to upkeep.

"This house has been the heart of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve aged, it has become increasingly challenging to maintain it with the care and energy it so rightfully warrants," commented the children of the initial owners.

They added that the period had arrived to find a new "steward" for the house – "a person who not only values its architectural significance but also understands its role in the cultural fabric of the city and elsewhere."

Modest Beginnings

The inception of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the initial owners bought a hilly parcel of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

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

Design Undertaking

The original design for the Stahl house was created during the summer of 1956. However, many architects were initially wary to erect it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the owners interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to accept the challenge. With backing from the prominent Case Study program, pioneered by a leading magazine editor, the family received subsidies to commission Koenig.

The modernist program "centered around experimentation" and "utilizing new building materials and building in places that maybe previously the technology didn’t really permit," stated an specialist from a regional conservancy. "All these elements are wrapped up into a site like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, progressive and inconceivable in terms of how it was built on that location that everyone else considered, at the time, was unbuildable."

Finalization and Iconic Influence

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and construction began in May 1959. According to the family, construction cost "just $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The outcome was "an idealized version of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the expert commented.

Soon after the build ended, a famous architectural photographer captured what is arguably the most iconic picture of the home. Taken through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photograph shows two women sitting in the home’s living room but looking to levitate over the LA skyline.

"I believe the enduring impact of that photo is due to the way it communicates an notion about residing in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both in the city and removed from it," commented a founder of an architectural firm and lecturer at a prominent university.

Historic Designation

The home has made notable appearances in movies, TV 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 protected property on the National Register of Historic Places.

Future Ownership

The home continues to be open for visits, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all tours are currently sold out through February. In their announcement concerning the sale, the family stated they would give "sufficient warning" before stopping the tours.

The listing for the home stresses finding a purchaser who will maintain the character of the space.

"For enthusiasts of architecture, advocates of building, or institutions seeking to safeguard an iconic work, there is simply no parallel," the details state. "This goes beyond a transaction; it is a handover of custody – a hunt for the next custodian who will celebrate the house’s legacy, respect its original vision, and guarantee its preservation for future generations."

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

"In my view any time a original family, and a stewardship like this, is changing ownership of a property like this, it always gives us a little bit of a concern – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And will they grasp and value the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"