For the first time in its 65-year history, the Stahl House — Pierre Koenig’s gravity-defying Modernist masterpiece, better known as Case Study House #22 — is officially for sale.
The announcement marks a turning point for one of the world’s most recognizable residences. After more than six decades in the care of the Stahl family, the home enters the public market as the owners prepare to pass responsibility for the glass-and-steel icon to its next custodian.
A Once-in-a-Century Listing
The Agency — which quietly featured the property in the Fall/Winter 2025 issue of The Agency Magazine (pages 100–101) — describes the listing with notable restraint:
“After more than six decades of careful preservation, Pierre Koenig’s Stahl House in the Hollywood Hills is offered for sale for the first time,” the listing notes.
Cantilevered dramatically above the city, the house remains an astonishing example of postwar experimentation — a steel-framed pavilion of floor-to-ceiling glass floating above panoramic views of Los Angeles.
“A protected landmark and the only Case Study House with original family ownership, it presents a rare opportunity to own a piece of design history,” the magazine states.
While the price is listed as “available upon request,” unconfirmed sources suggest the sale may approach $25 million.
What makes this moment historic is not simply that the house has never changed hands — it is that the home remains remarkably intact, from its original structure to the carport immortalized by Julius Shulman’s epochal 1960 photograph.
A Masterpiece Born from an ‘Impediment’
The cliffside parcel that became Case Study House #22 was once considered nearly unbuildable. Buck and Carlotta Stahl purchased the steep site for $13,000 in 1954, but the young architect they hired saw potential where others saw risk.
Koenig famously described the extreme topography as “an advantage rather than an impediment.”
Working with the largest commercially available sheets of glass and bold structural spans, he created one of the most iconic houses of the 20th century — a design that redefined how Los Angeles architecture engages with landscape, light, and spectacle.
Shulman’s twilight photograph — two women poised in a glowing living room hovering above the city — cemented the house as the definitive image of West Coast Modernism.
The Family Speaks: A Heartfelt Goodbye
In announcing the sale, the Stahl family released a deeply personal statement:
“After 65 years, our family has made the heartfelt and very difficult decision to place the Stahl House on the market.”
“This home has been the center 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.”
“The time has come to identify the next steward of Case Study House #22 — someone who not only appreciates its architectural significance but also understands its place in the cultural landscape of Los Angeles and beyond.”
“It is profoundly important to us that the new owner honor the legacy of our parents, Buck and Carlotta, respect Pierre Koenig’s vision, and be committed to protecting the house today and far into the future.”
The family emphasized that public tours — a longstanding preservation tool and a rite of passage for architecture enthusiasts — will continue for now.
A Precarious Moment for a Precarious Masterpiece
Case Study House #22 was designed to appear as though it floats above the city — an illusion that has shaped its myth for more than six decades.
Its first-ever sale introduces both opportunity and uncertainty: opportunity for a new chapter of care and preservation, and uncertainty about how new ownership will shape the evolving story of Los Angeles’ most photographed home.
The next steward of the Stahl House will inherit not only a landmark, but a cultural touchstone — a design that helped define an era and continues to inspire architects and filmmakers worldwide.
As the family notes, this next chapter depends entirely on who steps forward.
