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The celebrated Stahl house, a epitome of mid-century modern design, is currently listed for the initial occasion in its complete history.

This overhanging dwelling, situated in the Hollywood Hills area, was listed on the market this week. The price tag stands at an impressive $25 million.

Owners Move to Sell

The Stahl family, who have owned the property for its complete 65-year timeline, released a declaration regarding their choice to sell. They expressed that the house had proven excessively demanding to maintain.

"This house has been the core of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve grown older, it has become more difficult to care for it with the dedication and vigor it so truly merits," wrote the descendants of the first owners.

They further stated that the time had arrived to find a new "guardian" for the house – "an individual who not only appreciates its design legacy but also grasps its position in the cultural landscape of the city and further afield."

Unassuming Beginnings

The beginnings of the Stahl house go back to May 1954, when the first owners acquired a mountainous plot of land in the at the time undeveloped Hollywood Hills area for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house growing into a renowned representation of the city, the owners often stressed that "nobody famous ever lived here," describing themselves as a "working-class family living in a luxury house."

Construction Challenge

The original design for the Stahl house was developed during the warm season of 1956. However, many designers were initially hesitant to erect it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the family met with architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to take on the task. With backing from the prominent Case Study program, led by a key magazine editor, the family received support to commission Koenig.

The progressive program "focused on experimentation" and "utilizing new resources and building in places that maybe before the techniques didn’t really allow," remarked an expert from a local heritage organization. "Each of these factors are wrapped up into a property like the Stahl house, which was innovative, contemporary and unthinkable in terms of how it was built on that location that everyone else believed, at the time, was impossible to build."

Finalization and Famous Impact

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and work started in May 1959. According to the residents, construction amounted to "just $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The outcome was "a perfect representation of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the specialist commented.

Soon after construction was finished, a celebrated architectural photographer shot what is perhaps the most iconic picture of the home. Taken through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photo depicts two women sitting in the home’s living room but seeming to hover over the LA skyline.

"I think the enduring influence of that photograph is due to the way it communicates an concept about dwelling in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both metropolitan and separate from it," said a principal of an architectural company and lecturer at a prominent university.

Protected Recognition

The home has made memorable features in movies, broadcast and videos, including several famous titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

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

Coming Custodianship

The home remains open for public viewings, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all appointments are currently fully booked through February. In their statement announcing the sale, the family said they would give "ample notice" before ending the tours.

The listing for the home stresses finding a purchaser who will preserve the essence of the space.

"For collectors of style, advocates of building, or institutions seeking to safeguard an national treasure, there is simply no parallel," the description state. "This goes beyond a transaction; it is a handover of custody – a hunt for the next guardian who will respect the house’s history, respect its architectural purity, and guarantee its protection for future generations."

The authority affirmed that the selection of buyer would be a vital one, given the home’s history.

"In my view any time a longtime owner, and a stewardship like this, is transferring hands of a home like this, it always creates a little bit of a hesitation – because you never know what the next owner, what their aims will be. And can they grasp and value the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"