🔗 Share this article

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

This cantilevered residence, situated in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, hit the real estate market this past week. The price tag stands at a substantial $25 million.

Owners Move to Part With

The Stahl family, who have held title to the home for its complete 65-year history, issued a declaration regarding their choice to sell. They noted that the property had become increasingly challenging to care for.

"This house 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 effort it so richly deserves," commented the children of the first owners.

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

Humble Inception

The origins of the Stahl house date to May 1954, when the original owners purchased a mountainous patch of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills district for $13,500.

Despite the Stahl house evolving into a renowned representation of the city, the family often emphasized that "no famous individuals ever lived here," referring to themselves as a "working-class family living in a architectural masterpiece."

Construction Feat

The initial design for the Stahl house was conceived during the summer of 1956. However, many builders were at first reluctant to build it on the difficult hillside.

In November 1957, the family interviewed architect Pierre Koenig, who agreed to undertake the challenge. With support from the notable Case Study program, pioneered by a key magazine editor, the owners received support to commission Koenig.

The modernist program "was about innovation" and "employing new materials and constructing in places that maybe previously the technology didn’t really enable," remarked an expert from a regional preservation society. "All these elements are integrated into a site like the Stahl house, which was cutting-edge, modern and unthinkable in terms of how it was erected on that plot that everyone else believed, at the time, was unbuildable."

Realization and Cultural Legacy

The Stahl house was designated Case Study house No. 22, and construction began in May 1959. According to the owners, construction cost "a mere $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 expert added.

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

"In my opinion the lasting effect of the photo is due to the way it conveys an notion about living in Los Angeles, an ambivalence about being both in the city and separate from it," stated a founder of an architectural firm and adjunct professor at a leading university.

Cultural Recognition

The home has had historic features in cinema, television and music videos, including several well-known 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 listed as a protected property on the National Register of Historic Places.

Coming Ownership

The home is still open for visits, as it has been for the past 17 years, although all tours are currently fully booked through February. In their announcement concerning the sale, the family stated they would give "sufficient warning" before ending the tours.

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

"For connoisseurs of style, patrons of design, or entities seeking to safeguard an national treasure, there is simply nothing comparable," the description state. "This goes beyond a sale; it is a transfer of stewardship – a search for the next steward who will respect the house’s history, appreciate its design integrity, and ensure its preservation for generations to come."

The specialist agreed that the choice of buyer would be a crucial one, given the home’s legacy.

"I believe any time a original family, and a custodianship like this, is being sold of a property like this, it always causes a little bit of a pause – because you are unsure what the next owner, what their plans will be. And do they understand and appreciate the house, as in this particular case the Stahl family has?"