The price of the most famous house in the world
AD CORE DEVISE DESIGNER COLUMN Vol.179 An interior design magazine mentioned that the Stahl House in Hollywood, Los Angeles, is up for sale for $25 million. The Stahl House, designed by Pierre Koenig and photographed by Julius Schulman, is one of the most famous houses in the world and is also known as Case Study House #22. In 1954, Buck Stahl, a former professional football player and sign painter, purchased a vacant lot near his home in the Hollywood Hills for $13,500 and began preparing the land himself for construction. In 1957, he commissioned young architect Pierre Koenig to design and build the house. Construction began in September 1959 and was completed in May 1960, with construction costs of $34,000 and the pool costing $3,651. When I first visited the house for location scouting in 2006, his wife was still living there and in good health. The couple told me that when they built this house, they acquired it cheaply in a place nobody would even look at, had trouble getting construction vehicles in, and had to level the ground themselves because they didn't have much money. They also said that the building itself cost only $30,000. The Stahl House, built as the 22nd house in the "Case Study House" program, an experimental housing construction program organized by the American architectural magazine "Arts and Architecture" to introduce the appeal of inexpensive prefabricated housing to the American middle class, was photographed by photographer Julius Schulman immediately after its completion and became famous as the world's most famous house, known for its sense of openness and views of Hollywood. I heard stories from the wife about the construction process, how it feels to live in, and her fond memories of it being used in various magazines, movies, and TV dramas. Because of the large glass area, it was cold in winter, the afternoon sun was hot in summer, and the sound of the roof when it rained was loud, so when they first moved in, it was not comfortable at all. However, he laughed as he told us that it was also fun because it became famous through Shulman's book on architecture, and he got to meet celebrities during various photo shoots. After his wife passed away, his son inherited the house and opened it to the public on a paid, reservation-only basis, and we have guided several clients there on our architectural tours. Each time we visited, it seemed to get neater, but with the sponsorship of a local furniture store, generic mid-century furniture and other outdated pieces were being placed inside, and we realized that a house loses its reality when it is no longer lived in. When Mrs. Stahl lived there, it had just the right amount of openness... It seems that his sister and her husband own it now. Living in a house completed in 1960 for nearly 50 years is rare in America, where people move around a lot, and it may be truly rare for a Koenig building to remain unrenovated and continue to be lived in by a single owner. The fact that this house, in its original condition, was put up for sale became a hot topic in the architectural industry. Upon investigating who held the sales rights, it turned out to be The Agency, a real estate group that sells luxury homes, and a group company of Blair Chan, who had assisted me on my West Coast architectural tour. When it was put on the market at the end of last year, the price was $25 million (approximately 4 billion yen), but it has now dropped to $20 million (32 billion yen). This house is designated as a historic building in Los Angeles, and renovations are restricted, but its originality from when it was built is considered valuable, and it is attracting attention from art collectors, just like paintings and other works of art. If the deal goes through, it may become the most expensive 2LDK house in the world, with a land area of 1,133 square meters/343 tsubo and a building area of 204 square meters. The Bailey House, Case Study House #21 designed and built by Pierre Koenig, which I visited the year before last, was a slightly smaller house, but it was sold in 2006 to a Korean female art collector for $318 million, which was the second most expensive modern house at the time and was said to be a turning point in architecture being traded as art. In recent years, the selling price of famous buildings has reached $20 million, comparable to that of works of art. Unlike art, however, they are subject to high fixed costs such as property taxes and fire insurance, making them more expensive than works of art... I will be attending the Milan Salone again this year. The 1970s were very popular due to the American-originated interior design trend, but I wonder what kind of proposals will be made this year. I think the direction of sales will have shifted from previous important clients such as the Middle East, which is affected by the Iran War, and China, which is experiencing an economic downturn. Although airfares have nearly doubled due to the suspension of flights through the Middle East, the hotel I booked for December has vacancies and is less than half the price of last year, suggesting that the number of visitors has decreased considerably. This year's Milan Salone has seen an increase in admission fees to the exhibition halls, but with the decrease in major brands, I feel that it's time for those attending to consider whether it's still an event worth going to. I am considering a report seminar, so please look forward to it! (Creative Director Noboru Seto)
