🔗 Share this article

The renowned Stahl house, a paragon of mid-century modern design, is up for sale for the initial occasion in its whole history.

This suspended dwelling, situated in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, was listed on the real estate market this past week. The asking price stands at a notable $25 million.

Owners Choice to Sell

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the home for its complete 65-year history, issued a statement regarding their choice to sell. They stated that the house had proven too difficult to maintain.

"This house has been the heart of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become increasingly challenging to care for it with the attention and effort it so rightfully warrants," commented the children of the first owners.

They further stated that the time had arrived to find a new "guardian" for the house – "a person who not only values its architectural significance but also understands its role in the cultural fabric of Los Angeles and beyond."

Humble Origins

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

Despite the Stahl house becoming a renowned icon of the city, the residents often pointed out that "nobody famous ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Construction Undertaking

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

In November 1957, the Stahls met with architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to accept the challenge. With assistance from the prominent Case Study program, pioneered by a leading magazine editor, the Stahls received subsidies to commission Koenig.

The progressive program "focused on experimentation" and "using new resources and building in locations that maybe earlier the engineering didn’t really permit," commented an specialist from a regional conservancy. "All these elements are wrapped up into a property like the Stahl house, which was innovative, contemporary and inconceivable in terms of how it was erected on that location that everyone else thought, at the time, was unbuildable."

Completion and Iconic Influence

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and construction commenced in May 1959. According to the residents, construction totaled "a mere $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The final product was "an idealized version of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the specialist commented.

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

"In my opinion the lasting influence of the photo is due to the way it conveys an concept about dwelling in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both urban and separate from it," said a founder of an architectural company and educator at a leading university.

Historic Recognition

The home has made memorable cameos in film, TV and videos, including several popular titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

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

Future Custodianship

The home is still open for public viewings, as it has been for the last 17 years, although all tours are currently reserved through February. In their statement concerning the sale, the family stated they would give "plenty of advance notice" before discontinuing the tours.

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

"For enthusiasts of style, patrons of architecture, or institutions seeking to preserve an American masterpiece, there is simply nothing comparable," the listing read. "This is more than a transaction; it is a transfer of stewardship – a search for the next guardian who will honor the house’s legacy, value its original vision, and guarantee its preservation for posterity."

The expert concurred that the decision of new owner would be a vital one, given the home’s legacy.

"I believe any time a original family, and a guardianship like this, is transferring hands of a home like this, it always gives us a little bit of a concern – because you never know what the next owner, what their plans will be. And will they grasp and value the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"