🔗 Share this article

The famous Stahl house, a quintessential example of midcentury modern architecture, is now available for the very first time in its whole history.

This overhanging dwelling, nestled in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, appeared on the listings this recent week. The listing price stands at an impressive $25 million.

Stewards Decision to Part With

The Stahl family, who have held title to the home for its entire 65-year history, shared a statement regarding their resolution to sell. They noted that the property had grown increasingly challenging to maintain.

"This home has been the heart of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve grown older, it has become more difficult to care for it with the care and energy it so truly merits," wrote the children of the initial owners.

They further stated that the time had arrived to find a new "steward" for the house – "someone who not only recognizes its architectural importance but also grasps its position in the cultural history of LA and beyond."

Unassuming Inception

The beginnings of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the original owners purchased a sloped patch of land in the at the time undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a famous symbol of the city, the residents often pointed out that "no celebrities ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "working-class family living in a luxury house."

Architectural Undertaking

The first design for the Stahl house was conceived during the warm season of 1956. However, many architects were originally hesitant to erect it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to take on the project. With assistance from the notable Case Study program, led by a key magazine editor, the owners received subsidies to hire Koenig.

The contemporary program "was about experimentation" and "using new resources and building in places that maybe earlier the technology didn’t really enable," remarked an specialist from a city preservation society. "All these elements are wrapped up into a site like the Stahl house, which was innovative, modern and unthinkable in terms of how it was built on that location that everyone else believed, at the time, was unbuildable."

Finalization and Famous Impact

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and construction started in May 1959. According to the owners, construction cost "only $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The result was "an idealized version of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the authority added.

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

"I believe the long-standing effect of this image is due to the way it communicates an idea about residing in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both in the city and detached from it," commented a founder of an architectural firm and educator at a leading university.

Protected Designation

The home has made memorable features in cinema, television and promos, including several popular 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 added as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Stewardship

The home continues to be open for public viewings, as it has been for the last 17 years, although all tours are currently sold out through February. In their release regarding the sale, the family said they would give "plenty of advance notice" before discontinuing the tours.

The property description for the home emphasizes finding a purchaser who will maintain the essence of the space.

"For enthusiasts of style, advocates of architecture, or institutions seeking to protect an American masterpiece, there is simply no equal," the listing state. "This goes beyond a purchase; it is a passing of responsibility – a quest for the next guardian who will honor the house’s past, appreciate its architectural purity, and guarantee its protection for posterity."

The expert agreed that the selection of buyer would be a critical one, given the home’s history.

"I think any time a original family, and a custodianship like this, is transferring hands of a property like this, it always causes a little bit of a concern – because you never know what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And can they grasp and value the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"