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The celebrated Stahl house, a paragon of midcentury modern architectural design, is currently listed for the very first time in its entire history.

This suspended dwelling, perched in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, hit the market this past week. The price tag stands at a notable $25 million.

Family Move to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have held title to the home for its entire 65-year existence, released a declaration regarding their resolution to sell. They stated that the house had proven too difficult to maintain.

"This home has been the heart of our lives for decades, but as we’ve aged, it has become more difficult to care for it with the dedication and vigor it so richly deserves," wrote the descendants of the initial owners.

They continued that the period had emerged to find a new "guardian" for the house – "a person who not only values its architectural significance but also understands its place in the cultural fabric of the city and further afield."

Humble Origins

The beginnings of the Stahl house go back to May 1954, when the initial owners acquired a hilly parcel of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills area for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a famous symbol of the city, the family often stressed that "nobody famous ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "working-class family living in a white-collar house."

Architectural Challenge

The initial design for the Stahl house was developed during the summer of 1956. However, many architects were originally reluctant to build it on the challenging hillside.

In November 1957, the owners interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to accept the task. With support from the notable Case Study program, pioneered by a leading magazine editor, the Stahls received financial aid to engage Koenig.

The modernist program "centered around experimentation" and "utilizing new materials and building in sites that maybe before the technology didn’t really allow," remarked an authority from a regional preservation society. "All these elements are combined into a property like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, contemporary and inconceivable in terms of how it was erected on that plot that everyone else believed, at the time, was impossible to build."

Finalization and Cultural Legacy

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and work commenced in May 1959. According to the owners, construction totaled "just $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The result was "an idealized version of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the specialist commented.

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

"In my opinion the long-standing influence of this image is due to the way it communicates an concept about living in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both metropolitan and detached from it," said a head of an architectural practice and educator at a major university.

Historic Recognition

The home has enjoyed notable features in cinema, broadcast and music videos, including several popular titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city designated the Stahl house a protected monument, and in 2013, the house was listed as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Future Custodianship

The home continues to be open for visits, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all appointments are currently fully booked through February. In their statement announcing the sale, the family indicated they would give "ample notice" before stopping the tours.

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

"For connoisseurs of architecture, patrons of design, or institutions seeking to protect an national treasure, there is simply no equal," the details say. "This is not merely a sale; it is a transfer of stewardship – a hunt for the next steward who will honor the house’s history, value its architectural purity, and guarantee its protection for generations to come."

The authority agreed that the choice of purchaser would be a vital one, given the home’s past.

"I believe any time a longtime owner, and a custodianship like this, is changing ownership of a home like this, it always gives us a little bit of a pause – because you never know what the next owner, what their plans will be. And do they grasp and appreciate the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"