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The renowned Stahl house, a epitome of modernist architectural design, is up for sale for the first time in its complete history.

This overhanging residence, perched in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, hit the market this week. The asking price stands at a substantial $25 million.

Owners Move to Sell

The Stahl family, who have been the proprietors of the residence for its complete 65-year existence, shared a declaration regarding their choice to sell. They stated that the dwelling had proven excessively demanding to care for.

"This house has been the core of our lives for a long time, but as we’ve grown older, it has become more difficult to look after it with the care and energy it so richly deserves," wrote the descendants of the first owners.

They continued that the time had arrived to find a new "custodian" for the house – "a person who not only values its architectural importance but also comprehends its position in the cultural fabric of LA and beyond."

Humble Inception

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

Despite the Stahl house growing into a renowned icon of the city, the family often stressed that "no famous individuals ever lived here," describing themselves as a "working-class family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Construction Feat

The original design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer months of 1956. However, many designers were originally hesitant to construct it on the difficult hillside.

In November 1957, the owners met with architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to accept the task. With assistance from the notable Case Study program, led by a leading magazine editor, the owners received financial aid to hire Koenig.

The contemporary program "focused on experimentation" and "employing new resources and building in sites that maybe earlier the techniques didn’t really allow," remarked an authority from a local heritage organization. "All those things are wrapped up into a site like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, progressive and unthinkable in terms of how it was constructed on that site that everyone else believed, at the time, was not feasible."

Completion and Iconic Legacy

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

Soon after completion, a celebrated architectural photographer captured what is possibly the most well-known photograph of the home. Taken through the full-length glass windows, the image shows two women positioned in the home’s living room but appearing to float over the city skyline.

"I believe the long-standing effect of that image is due to the way it expresses an notion about dwelling in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both in the city and removed from it," stated a head of an architectural firm and lecturer at a leading university.

Historic Designation

The home has had notable appearances in movies, broadcast and videos, including several famous titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city designated 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.

Next Custodianship

The home continues to be open for tours, as it has been for the previous 17 years, although all tours are currently reserved through February. In their statement announcing the sale, the family indicated they would give "sufficient warning" before ending the tours.

The property description for the home highlights finding a buyer who will maintain the spirit of the space.

"For enthusiasts of style, patrons of design, or entities seeking to safeguard an American masterpiece, there is simply no parallel," the listing read. "This is more than a purchase; it is a transfer of stewardship – a hunt for the next custodian who will celebrate the house’s legacy, respect its design integrity, and guarantee its preservation for generations to come."

The specialist concurred that the selection of new owner would be a critical one, given the home’s legacy.

"I believe any time a original family, and a stewardship like this, is transferring hands of a property like this, it always causes a little bit of a pause – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their aims will be. And do they grasp and cherish the house, as in this unique case the Stahl family has?"