Modernist house that set model for Los Angeles living on sale for $25m

The Stahl house - a model of Los Angeles mid-century modern architectural design - is on sale for the first time. Perched in the Hollywood Hills, the cantilevered home hit the listings market this week with an asking price of $25m (£19m).

- Cecilia Nowell

The Stahl family, which has owned the property for its entire 65-year history, said it had become too difficult to maintain. “This home has been the centre of our lives for decades, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become increasingly challenging to care for it with the attention and energy it so richly deserves,” wrote Bruce Stahl and Shari Stahl Gronwald, the children of the original owners.

They said the time had come to find a new “steward” - “someone who not only appreciates its architectural significance but also understands its place in the cultural landscape of Los Angeles and beyond”.

The plan for the house dates back to May 1954, when CH “Buck” and Carlotta Stahl bought a hilly patch of land in the then undeveloped Hollywood Hills for $13,500.

Although the Stahl house became a famous symbol of Los Angeles, “nobody famous ever lived here”, Buck often said, calling his family a “blue-collar family living in a white-collar house”. Buck was a graphic designer and sign painter, and he and Carlotta transported concrete to the property on their weekends.