The Stahl House: Case Study House #22: The Making of a Modernist Icon

Stahl and Stahl Gronwald offer an intimate biography of “one of the great architectural wonders of Los Angeles”: the Stahl House, designed by Pierre Koenig and completed in 1960, and the house they grew up in. As Stahl and Stahl Gronwald recall, their childhood home—dreamed up in 1956 by their parents (a “blue-collar couple with white-collar dreams”)—was a “glass-walled house surrounded on three sides by cliffs (we all survived)” with unobstructed views of downtown Los Angeles. Once complete, the house quickly captured the public’s imagination and became a landmark of mid-century design. Drawing upon building documents, personal recollections, and stunning images by architectural photographer Julius Shulman, Stahl and Stahl Gronwald give a fascinating tour through the house’s evolution—from its development to its emergence as a setting for advertisements (featuring celebrities such as Colin Farrell) and films (it was Tim Allen’s home in 1999’s Galaxy Quest) to its current status as a historic house open to the public. However, to the authors it was just home, “a warm and welcoming place to celebrate Christmas, birthdays, and summer afternoons.” Those with an interest in the human side of design and architecture will be captivated. Agent: Leslie Meredith, Mary Evans Inc. (Aug.)