The Stahl House is Stunning

Watching a sunset from the iconic Stahl House is one of the most magical experiences I've had in LA. Turns out, the story of the family who built the house is as wonderful as the view.

This week’s adventure at the Stahl House took months to plan (tickets are hard to come by) but was worth the wait. Other gatherings happen spur of the moment (for instance, yesterday I dropped in to see the colorful new show by Tim Walker at the Getty Center). If you are a new reader, welcome! Thanks to everyone for being here, and don’t forget to peruse past excursions in the Archive.

No doubt, you are familiar with Julius Schulman’s black and white photograph of two women in white dresses sitting in a sleek house with floor-to-ceiling glass windows that look out over a nighttime grid of city streets. The image of architect Pierre Koenig’s Case Study House No. 22 defined California cool the moment the photograph was captured in 1960. Last week, we sat in that exact room watching the sun set, learning the story of how “Buck” and Carlotta Stahl’s dream house came to be. When you step into a space that is part of history, especially one that hasn’t changed for over sixty years, time stands still.

We followed our GPS up tiny streets above the Chateau Marmont, passed through an imposing gate that had to be built to keep tourists at bay, and gathered with the rest of our group behind a cement wall. Our charming guide Scott cautioned us about safety issues before opening the gate… when a collective gasp went up. All at once, an extraordinary 180 degree view of Los Angeles revealed itself, a turquoise pool sparkled at our feet, and our eager eyes took in the jewel box glass home for the first time. The magic of that moment exceeded all expectations - never such a view, never such a house, never such a genuine pop of wonder at first glimpse.