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

This cantilevered home, nestled in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, appeared on the real estate market this week. The listing price stands at an impressive $25 million.

Owners Decision to Sell

The Stahl family, who have owned the residence for its complete 65-year existence, released a announcement regarding their choice to sell. They noted that the dwelling had proven increasingly challenging to maintain.

"This home has been the heart of our lives for decades, 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 initial owners.

They continued that the moment had emerged to find a new "guardian" for the house – "a person who not only appreciates its architectural importance but also understands its role in the cultural fabric of the city and further afield."

Modest Inception

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

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

Design Feat

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

In November 1957, the owners interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to accept the project. With support from the prominent Case Study program, pioneered by a key magazine editor, the family received financial aid to commission Koenig.

The contemporary program "centered around innovation" and "using new resources and erecting in sites that maybe previously the technology didn’t really allow," commented an authority from a regional conservancy. "All those things are wrapped up into a place like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, progressive and unimaginable in terms of how it was erected on that location that everyone else believed, at the time, was unbuildable."

Completion and Cultural Legacy

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and building started in May 1959. According to the owners, construction cost "just $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The final product was "a perfect representation of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the authority commented.

Soon after the build ended, a famous architectural photographer captured what is arguably the most iconic picture of the home. Taken through the full-length glass windows, the photograph features two women seated in the home’s living room but seeming to float over the Los Angeles skyline.

"I think the long-standing impact of the photograph is due to the way it communicates an notion about dwelling in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both in the city and removed from it," said a principal of an architectural practice and educator at a leading university.

Cultural Designation

The home has had memorable cameos in film, television and promos, including several famous titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city declared the Stahl house a heritage site, and in 2013, the house was listed as a preserved site on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Custodianship

The home continues to be open for public viewings, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all appointments are currently sold out through February. In their announcement concerning the sale, the family said they would give "ample notice" before ending the tours.

The sales details for the home emphasizes finding a new owner who will preserve the essence of the space.

"For connoisseurs of design, supporters of design, or institutions seeking to protect an American masterpiece, there is simply no parallel," the listing say. "This goes beyond a sale; it is a transfer of stewardship – a search for the next steward who will celebrate the house’s legacy, appreciate its original vision, and guarantee its preservation for posterity."

The authority agreed that the decision of purchaser would be a critical one, given the home’s legacy.

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