🔗 Share this article

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

This overhanging home, nestled in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, hit the market this past week. The price tag stands at a substantial $25 million.

Owners Decision to Sell

The Stahl family, who have held title to the residence for its entire 65-year timeline, issued a statement regarding their resolution to sell. They expressed that the property had grown increasingly challenging to upkeep.

"This house has been the core of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve aged, it has become more difficult to care for it with the care and energy it so rightfully warrants," commented the offspring of the initial owners.

They continued that the moment had come to find a new "steward" for the house – "a person who not only recognizes its architectural importance but also understands its place in the cultural landscape of LA and further afield."

Modest Inception

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

Despite the Stahl house becoming a well-known symbol of the city, the residents often stressed that "no famous individuals ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "working-class family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Construction Feat

The original design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer of 1956. However, many architects were originally wary to construct it on the precarious hillside.

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

The modernist program "was about innovation" and "employing new building materials and constructing in sites that maybe before the engineering didn’t really enable," remarked an authority from a regional conservancy. "All those things are wrapped up into a site like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, modern and inconceivable in terms of how it was built on that site that everyone else thought, at the time, was impossible to build."

Completion and Famous Influence

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and work started in May 1959. According to the owners, construction amounted to "just $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The result was "an idealized version of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the authority noted.

Soon after completion, a renowned architectural photographer captured what is arguably the most iconic picture of the home. Taken through the full-length glass windows, the image shows two women positioned in the home’s living room but appearing to levitate over the Los Angeles skyline.

"I think the lasting influence of that photograph is due to the way it communicates an concept about dwelling in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both metropolitan and detached from it," commented a head of an architectural practice and lecturer at a major university.

Protected Recognition

The home has had memorable features in movies, broadcast and videos, including several well-known 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.

Future Stewardship

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

The listing for the home emphasizes finding a buyer who will preserve the essence of the space.

"For enthusiasts of design, advocates of design, or entities seeking to safeguard an American masterpiece, there is simply no equal," the listing say. "This goes beyond a purchase; it is a passing of responsibility – a quest for the next custodian who will respect the house’s history, respect its architectural purity, and guarantee its conservation for future generations."

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

"I think any time a longtime owner, and a guardianship like this, is being sold of a home like this, it always creates a little bit of a concern – because you never know what the next owner, what their aims will be. And can they understand and appreciate the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"