🔗 Share this article

The famous Stahl house, a quintessential example of midcentury modern architecture, is up for sale for the first time in its whole history.

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

Owners Move to Sell

The Stahl family, who have owned the residence for its entire 65-year timeline, issued a declaration regarding their decision to sell. They noted that the house had proven too difficult 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 attention and energy it so richly deserves," stated the offspring of the first owners.

They further stated that the time had come to find a new "guardian" for the house – "an individual who not only recognizes its architectural importance but also understands its place in the cultural history of the city and beyond."

Modest Inception

The origins of the Stahl house trace back to May 1954, when the original owners bought a sloped patch of land in the previously undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house growing into a renowned icon of the city, the family often emphasized that "no celebrities ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "blue-collar family living in a white-collar house."

Construction Challenge

The first design for the Stahl house was created during the warm season of 1956. However, many architects were originally hesitant to construct it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the family interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to undertake the project. With backing from the notable Case Study program, spearheaded by a key magazine editor, the Stahls received subsidies to engage Koenig.

The progressive program "centered around experimentation" and "employing new materials and building in sites that maybe previously the engineering didn’t really permit," commented an specialist from a city heritage organization. "All these elements are wrapped up into a property like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, modern and inconceivable in terms of how it was built on that location that everyone else believed, at the time, was impossible to build."

Finalization and Cultural Legacy

The Stahl house became Case Study house No. 22, and building commenced in May 1959. According to the family, construction totaled "just $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 authority commented.

Soon after completion, a renowned architectural photographer took what is possibly the most famous picture of the home. Shot through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the image features two women positioned in the home’s living room but appearing to levitate over the city skyline.

"I think the enduring influence of the photo is due to the way it conveys an notion about dwelling in Los Angeles, an contrast about being both in the city and separate from it," stated a principal of an architectural practice and adjunct professor at a prominent university.

Protected Status

The home has made memorable cameos in cinema, broadcast and videos, including several popular 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 listed as a protected property on the National Register of Historic Places.

Future Stewardship

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

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

"For collectors of design, advocates of building, or institutions seeking to preserve an iconic work, there is simply no equal," the description say. "This goes beyond a purchase; it is a handover of custody – a quest for the next custodian who will honor the house’s past, value its original vision, and secure its protection for generations to come."

The authority affirmed that the choice of new owner would be a crucial one, given the home’s legacy.

"In my view any time a long-term steward, and a custodianship like this, is changing ownership of a property like this, it always gives us a little bit of a pause – because you cannot predict what the next owner, what their aims will be. And do they grasp and cherish the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"