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The celebrated Stahl house, a paragon of mid-century modern architecture, is up for sale for the first time in its complete history.

This suspended home, perched in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, was listed on the listings this past week. The price tag stands at a notable $25 million.

Family Choice to Part With

The Stahl family, who have owned the home for its complete 65-year existence, released a declaration regarding their choice to sell. They expressed that the dwelling had grown increasingly challenging to upkeep.

"This residence has been the heart of our lives for many years, but as we’ve grown older, it has become increasingly challenging to maintain it with the attention and effort it so rightfully warrants," wrote the descendants of the original owners.

They continued that the time had arrived to find a new "custodian" for the house – "someone who not only recognizes its architectural significance but also understands its role in the cultural history of the city and beyond."

Unassuming Inception

The beginnings of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the original owners purchased a mountainous parcel of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills area for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house becoming a famous symbol of the city, the family often emphasized that "no celebrities ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "average family living in a white-collar house."

Architectural Feat

The initial design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer months of 1956. However, many builders were at first wary to build it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to take on the project. With assistance from the prominent Case Study program, led by a leading magazine editor, the family received financial aid to commission Koenig.

The modernist program "centered around trial and error" and "employing new materials and building in sites that maybe previously the technology didn’t really allow," remarked an expert from a city conservancy. "All those things are wrapped up into a place like the Stahl house, which was innovative, modern and unimaginable in terms of how it was constructed on that plot that everyone else believed, at the time, was impossible to build."

Completion and Cultural Impact

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

Soon after the build ended, a famous architectural photographer captured what is perhaps the most well-known picture of the home. Taken through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photograph depicts two women seated in the home’s living room but appearing to levitate over the LA skyline.

"In my opinion the long-standing effect of this image is due to the way it expresses an idea about dwelling in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both in the city and detached from it," said a head of an architectural company and educator at a leading university.

Historic Recognition

The home has made notable cameos in film, TV and promos, including several popular 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 Stewardship

The home continues to be open for visits, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all slots are currently fully booked through February. In their statement concerning the sale, the family indicated they would give "plenty of advance notice" before stopping the tours.

The listing for the home highlights finding a new owner who will preserve the spirit of the space.

"For enthusiasts of architecture, patrons of building, or institutions seeking to safeguard an iconic work, there is simply nothing comparable," the details state. "This goes beyond a transaction; it is a passing of responsibility – a search for the next guardian who will celebrate the house’s legacy, value its architectural purity, and secure its protection for future generations."

The specialist agreed that the decision of purchaser would be a vital one, given the home’s history.

"I think any time a longtime owner, and a guardianship like this, is changing ownership of a residence like this, it always gives us a little bit of a hesitation – because you never know what the next owner, what their aims will be. And do they understand and appreciate the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"