🔗 Share this article

The renowned Stahl house, a paragon of mid-century modern architectural design, is currently listed for the first time in its complete history.

This suspended residence, nestled in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, hit the market this week. The listing price stands at an impressive $25 million.

Family Decision to Part With

The Stahl family, who have held title to the property for its full 65-year history, issued a statement regarding their decision to sell. They stated that the house had proven excessively demanding to care for.

"This residence has been the center of our lives for many years, but as we’ve aged, it has become increasingly challenging to maintain it with the care and energy it so truly merits," commented the offspring of the original owners.

They continued that the time had come to find a new "steward" for the house – "an individual who not only values its architectural importance but also grasps its place in the cultural fabric of Los Angeles and beyond."

Humble Origins

The origins of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the original owners acquired a sloped plot of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills neighborhood for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a well-known symbol of the city, the family often emphasized that "no celebrities ever lived here," characterizing themselves as a "average family living in a white-collar house."

Construction Feat

The initial design for the Stahl house was developed during the summer of 1956. However, many architects were initially hesitant to construct it on the precarious hillside.

In November 1957, the owners consulted architect Pierre Koenig, who decided to undertake the challenge. With support from the prominent Case Study program, led by a leading magazine editor, the Stahls received subsidies to hire Koenig.

The progressive program "focused on innovation" and "employing new materials and erecting in places that maybe previously the technology didn’t really permit," commented an specialist from a city preservation society. "All those things are combined into a property like the Stahl house, which was innovative, progressive and unthinkable in terms of how it was built on that site that everyone else believed, at the time, was not feasible."

Completion and Iconic Impact

The Stahl house was assigned Case Study house No. 22, and work began in May 1959. According to the owners, construction totaled "a mere $37,500" and the home was finished by May 1960. The final product was "a perfect representation of what everyone imagines LA is and should be," the expert added.

Soon after the build ended, a famous architectural photographer captured what is possibly the most famous picture of the home. Shot through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the image depicts two women sitting in the home’s living room but looking to hover over the LA skyline.

"I think the long-standing impact of this photo is due to the way it communicates an idea about residing in Los Angeles, an duality about being both metropolitan and removed from it," stated a head of an architectural firm and adjunct professor at a leading university.

Historic Status

The home has had notable appearances in cinema, television and music videos, including several well-known titles from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 1999, the city declared the Stahl house a historic-cultural landmark, and in 2013, the house was added as a conserved building on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coming Stewardship

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

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

"For collectors of style, supporters of design, or entities seeking to protect an national treasure, there is simply nothing comparable," the description state. "This is more than a purchase; it is a handover of custody – a quest for the next steward who will honor the house’s past, value its architectural purity, and ensure its preservation for generations to come."

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

"In my view any time a original family, and a custodianship like this, is changing ownership of a residence like this, it always causes 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?"