Stahl House, L.A.'s Midcentury Icon by Pierre Koenig, Lists for $25M — $11,364 per sq ft

The Stahl House, Pierre Koenig’s celebrated midcentury modern residence perched above the Hollywood Hills, is for sale for the first time since its completion in 1960. The two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home measures roughly 2,200 square feet and is listed at $25 million — about $11,364 per square foot.

Price, size and practical updates

The asking price is far above typical ultra-luxury Los Angeles transactions, which often range from about $2,000 to $6,000+ per square foot, and would exceed the per‑square‑foot mark of many record-setting sales if realized. The house itself remains modest in footprint but exceptional in provenance: it includes a pool, a carport and a freestanding fireplace. The kitchen has been sensitively updated to accommodate modern appliances, and the original dark mahogany casework was replaced with matched-grain white oak after sun damage faded the originals.

Design and setting

The floor plan is a simple L: one wing contains bedrooms while the other opens into a flowing great room combining kitchen, dining and living areas around a central fireplace. Floor-to-ceiling glass and a cantilevered corner create a dramatic 270-degree panorama from one of the Hills’ higher promontories. The lot covers more than a quarter of an acre, most of it steep, unbuildable slope; a gated drive protects the property from the road below.

History and cultural impact

Clarence “Buck” Stahl and his wife, Carlotta, bought the lot in 1954 and commissioned Pierre Koenig in 1957. Koenig — a pioneer of residential steel construction — simplified the Stahls’ early ideas, favoring prefabricated components and straight lines that produced the house’s signature glass-walled, cantilevered profile. Koenig described the design as intentionally drawing the eye out toward the city so that “the house becomes one with the city below.”

Julius Shulman’s iconic photograph of the Stahl House — two women in elegant dresses seated in the glowing glass room above the city lights — helped cement the residence as an image of aspirational California modernism. The photograph has been widely reproduced and referenced in popular culture, from films and television to video games and fashion shoots.

Ownership and stewardship

Only one family has owned the house. Bruce and Shari Stahl cared for the property for decades, funding part of its upkeep by offering public tours and location rentals. In their listing statement they said they seek “the next custodian who will honor the house’s history, respect its architectural purity, and ensure its preservation for generations to come.”

“This home has been the center of our lives for decades,” Bruce and Shari Stahl wrote. “As we’ve gotten older, it has become increasingly challenging to care for it with the attention and energy it so richly deserves.”

Market reality and access

Whether the house’s cultural cachet and architectural pedigree will translate into a $25 million sale remains to be seen. The listing notes that showings are being arranged only for pre-qualified clients. For now, the Stahl family says the public tour program will continue unchanged and that they will provide ample notice before any adjustments are made.

The Stahl House’s value lies less in square footage than in its place in architectural history — an emblem of midcentury modernism whose combination of design, location and cultural resonance makes it unlike any other property on the market.