🔗 Share this article

The famous Stahl house, a epitome of midcentury modern architectural design, is now available for the initial occasion in its complete history.

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

Owners Move to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the residence for its complete 65-year existence, issued a statement regarding their decision to sell. They noted that the dwelling had become too difficult to upkeep.

"This house has been the center of our lives for many years, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become more difficult to look after it with the care and effort it so truly merits," wrote the offspring of the first owners.

They continued that the time had come to find a new "custodian" for the house – "someone who not only values its design legacy but also comprehends its position in the cultural fabric of the city and further afield."

Modest Origins

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

Despite the Stahl house growing into a well-known representation of the city, the family often emphasized that "nobody famous ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "average family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Design Undertaking

The initial design for the Stahl house was created during the warm season of 1956. However, many builders were at first reluctant to build it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to take on the challenge. With support from the influential Case Study program, pioneered by a key magazine editor, the owners received support to engage Koenig.

The contemporary program "was about trial and error" and "utilizing new resources and erecting in sites that maybe earlier the technology didn’t really allow," stated an specialist from a regional conservancy. "All those things are combined into a property like the Stahl house, which was innovative, progressive and inconceivable in terms of how it was constructed on that plot that everyone else considered, at the time, was not feasible."

Completion and Famous Impact

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and building started in May 1959. According to the owners, construction totaled "only $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The result was "a perfect representation of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the expert noted.

Soon after completion, a celebrated architectural photographer captured what is possibly the most iconic image of the home. Shot through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the image depicts two women seated in the home’s living room but appearing to hover over the Los Angeles skyline.

"I believe the lasting effect of the image is due to the way it expresses an concept about dwelling in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both in the city and separate from it," commented a head of an architectural firm and educator at a leading university.

Historic Recognition

The home has had historic appearances in cinema, television 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 listed as a preserved site on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coming Stewardship

The home remains open for public viewings, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all appointments are currently fully booked through February. In their announcement concerning the sale, the family said they would give "plenty of advance notice" before stopping the tours.

The sales details for the home emphasizes finding a buyer who will preserve the spirit of the space.

"For collectors of architecture, patrons of building, or institutions seeking to safeguard an iconic work, there is simply no equal," the details say. "This is more than a transaction; it is a handover of custody – a hunt for the next steward who will respect the house’s past, respect its architectural purity, and ensure its protection for future generations."

The specialist concurred that the choice of new owner would be a critical one, given the home’s history.

"I believe any time a long-term steward, and a custodianship like this, is changing ownership of a property like this, it always causes a little bit of a hesitation – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their plans will be. And do they understand and appreciate the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"