🔗 Share this article

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

This overhanging dwelling, nestled in the Hollywood Hills, appeared on the real estate market this past week. The price tag stands at a notable $25 million.

Owners Move to Sell

The Stahl family, who have owned the property for its complete 65-year timeline, shared a statement regarding their resolution to sell. They stated that the property had proven excessively demanding to care for.

"This home has been the core of our lives for many years, but as we’ve grown older, it has become progressively harder to look after it with the attention and effort it so richly deserves," stated the children of the original owners.

They continued that the moment had come to find a new "steward" for the house – "someone who not only appreciates its design legacy but also grasps its place in the cultural fabric of Los Angeles and further afield."

Unassuming Beginnings

The origins of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the first owners purchased a mountainous plot of land in the at the time undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a well-known icon of the city, the residents often emphasized that "nobody famous ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "average family living in a white-collar house."

Construction Challenge

The original design for the Stahl house was developed during the summer months of 1956. However, many builders were at first wary to build it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the Stahls interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to undertake the challenge. With assistance from the influential Case Study program, led by a leading magazine editor, the family received subsidies to engage Koenig.

The modernist program "centered around innovation" and "utilizing new building materials and erecting in places that maybe before the engineering didn’t really permit," stated an expert from a regional heritage organization. "All those things are wrapped up into a place like the Stahl house, which was avant-garde, modern and inconceivable in terms of how it was erected on that site that everyone else considered, at the time, was unbuildable."

Realization and Cultural Impact

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and building began in May 1959. According to the family, construction cost "a mere $37,500" and the home was move-in ready by May 1960. The result was "an idealized version of what everyone envisions LA is and should be," the specialist added.

Soon after the build ended, a famous architectural photographer captured what is arguably the most iconic image of the home. Taken through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the photograph depicts two women seated in the home’s living room but appearing to levitate over the Los Angeles skyline.

"I think the long-standing effect of the image is due to the way it conveys an idea about living in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both metropolitan and detached from it," commented a principal of an architectural firm and lecturer at a prominent university.

Protected Designation

The home has had notable cameos in film, television and videos, including several famous titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

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

Coming Custodianship

The home is still open for tours, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all appointments are currently fully booked through February. In their announcement regarding the sale, the family stated they would give "ample notice" before stopping the tours.

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

"For collectors of design, patrons of architecture, or institutions seeking to preserve an American masterpiece, there is simply no equal," the description read. "This is not merely a sale; it is a passing of responsibility – a search for the next steward who will honor the house’s history, appreciate its design integrity, and ensure its conservation for future generations."

The authority concurred that the choice of new owner would be a vital one, given the home’s history.

"In my view any time a longtime owner, and a custodianship like this, is changing ownership of a property like this, it always causes a little bit of a concern – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their intentions will be. And will they comprehend and cherish the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"