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The famous Stahl house, a epitome of modernist architectural design, is now available for the very first time in its complete history.

This suspended dwelling, situated in the Hollywood Hills, appeared on the market this recent week. The price tag stands at a substantial $25 million.

Stewards Move to Let Go

The Stahl family, who have owned the property for its full 65-year existence, shared a statement regarding their decision to sell. They noted that the house had become increasingly challenging to care for.

"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 care and effort it so rightfully warrants," stated the descendants of the original owners.

They continued that the moment had come to find a new "custodian" for the house – "a person who not only recognizes its design legacy but also comprehends its role in the cultural fabric of LA and further afield."

Unassuming Inception

The beginnings of the Stahl house go back to May 1954, when the first owners bought a sloped plot 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 residents often pointed out that "no celebrities ever lived here," describing themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a white-collar house."

Design Feat

The original design for the Stahl house was conceived during the warm season of 1956. However, many architects were initially hesitant to build it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to undertake the task. With support from the notable Case Study program, spearheaded by a prominent magazine editor, the owners received support to commission Koenig.

The contemporary program "centered around experimentation" and "employing new materials and constructing in sites that maybe earlier the techniques didn’t really permit," stated an expert from a local conservancy. "Each of these factors are combined into a site like the Stahl house, which was innovative, modern and unthinkable in terms of how it was built on that site that everyone else thought, at the time, was impossible to build."

Completion and Cultural Impact

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and work commenced in May 1959. According to the residents, construction amounted to "only $37,500" and the home was completed by May 1960. The final product was "a perfect representation of what everyone thinks LA is and should be," the authority noted.

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

"I think the enduring effect of this image is due to the way it expresses an notion about dwelling in Los Angeles, an duality about being both in the city and separate from it," said a head of an architectural company and lecturer at a major university.

Historic Designation

The home has made historic cameos in film, broadcast and videos, including several famous 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 added as a protected property on the National Register of Historic Places.

Next Custodianship

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

The listing for the home emphasizes finding a purchaser who will preserve the character of the space.

"For enthusiasts of style, advocates of architecture, or entities seeking to safeguard an national treasure, there is simply nothing comparable," the description say. "This goes beyond a purchase; it is a handover of custody – a search for the next steward who will respect the house’s legacy, value its architectural purity, and guarantee its protection for future generations."

The authority concurred that the selection of buyer would be a critical one, given the home’s legacy.

"I think any time a original family, and a custodianship like this, is being sold of a property like this, it always creates a little bit of a pause – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their aims will be. And will they understand and appreciate the house, as in this specific case the Stahl family has?"