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The celebrated Stahl house, a epitome of midcentury modern design, is up for sale for the very first time in its whole history.

This cantilevered home, perched in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, appeared on the listings this week. The price tag stands at an impressive $25 million.

Owners Move to Part With

The Stahl family, who have held title to the residence for its entire 65-year existence, released a announcement regarding their choice to sell. They noted that the property had grown too difficult to maintain.

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

They further stated that the period had come to find a new "custodian" for the house – "a person who not only appreciates its architectural importance but also comprehends its role in the cultural landscape of the city and elsewhere."

Humble Inception

The beginnings 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 area for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a well-known icon of the city, the owners often pointed out that "no celebrities ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "average family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Construction Undertaking

The original design for the Stahl house was created during the summer months of 1956. However, many architects were initially hesitant to construct it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who consented to accept the project. With support from the influential Case Study program, led by a key magazine editor, the owners received financial aid to hire Koenig.

The modernist program "was about trial and error" and "utilizing new materials and erecting in places that maybe previously the technology didn’t really enable," stated an expert from a local heritage organization. "All those things are combined into a site like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, contemporary and inconceivable in terms of how it was erected on that site that everyone else considered, at the time, was impossible to build."

Completion and Iconic Impact

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and building commenced in May 1959. According to the owners, construction totaled "just $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The result was "the ultimate vision of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the expert added.

Soon after construction was finished, a famous architectural photographer captured what is arguably the most well-known image of the home. Shot through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the image depicts two women positioned in the home’s living room but looking to levitate over the Los Angeles skyline.

"In my opinion the long-standing influence of the photo is due to the way it conveys an concept about residing in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both in the city and removed from it," stated a head of an architectural company and lecturer at a leading university.

Cultural Designation

The home has made historic appearances in film, broadcast and music videos, including several popular titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city recognized the Stahl house a historic-cultural landmark, and in 2013, the house was added as a preserved site on the National Register of Historic Places.

Future Ownership

The home remains open for tours, as it has been for the last 17 years, although all tours are currently reserved through February. In their release concerning the sale, the family indicated they would give "sufficient warning" before ending the tours.

The property description for the home highlights finding a new owner who will preserve the character of the space.

"For collectors of style, patrons of design, or entities seeking to preserve an national treasure, there is simply no equal," the listing read. "This goes beyond a sale; it is a transfer of stewardship – a search for the next steward who will honor the house’s past, appreciate its original vision, and secure its preservation for generations to come."

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

"I think any time a longtime owner, and a stewardship 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 intentions will be. And do they understand and appreciate the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"