An icon of modernist residential architecture could be at risk, after the City of Los Angeles approved a development on the lot below the clifftop it sits on.
Built in 1959, Stahl House or Case Study House #22 by Pierre Koenig cantilevers dramatically over a clifftop in the Hollywood Hills, as was captured in a 1960 photograph by Julius Shulman, one of the most famous images of Los Angeles and of the relaxed lifestyle promised by post-war modernism.
Now its owners Bruce and Shari Stahl are concerned that a development requiring the removal of “over 200 dump trucks of dirt” from below the house will destabilize the house’s fragile foundations.
“For over 60 years, our iconic and beloved home has perched atop a dramatic cliff overlooking all of Los Angeles,” the pair wrote in an email. “The hill upon which the Stahl house rests is fragile and set in a designated landslide area and earthquake zone by both the City of Los Angeles and the State of California. Numerous catastrophic slides have already damaged or destroyed other nearby homes.
“So far we have been lucky, and the house has survived and has been available for the enjoyment of Angelenos and architecture lovers from around the world.
“The City of Los Angeles recently approved development of the lot directly below our house, which will remove over 200 dump trucks of dirt from right below our historic dwelling and build enormous walls that are many multiples of what the building code allows. We believe that this presents a serious risk to the Stahl House.”
Stahl House was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1999 and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
The Stahls, together with the Doheny Sunset Plaza Neighborhood Association, have appealed to the City Planning Commission to reverse the approval of the development. They’re asking fans of the house to support the appeal by writing to local councillor Nithya Raman.
Find out more here.
