M R.
Yelp
I learned of The Stahl House (Case Study House 22) on an MCM Facebook group I belong to. As fortune would have it, we happened to be planning a trip to Los Angeles, so I knew right away that a visit here would definitely be on our agenda!
First thing... reserve early because dates sell out! Second thing, once you're booked, do yourself a favor and don't rely on Waze or Google Maps to get you there. We ended up being about 10 minutes late because the mapping apps couldn't reliably get us to the house. You get driving directions when you book your tickets, so print those out and follow them. Much easier.
There are only three tours a day and when I say "tours" I'm being generous. There's not really a "tour" per se -- you just walk from room to room admiring the design and simplicity of the home against the breathtaking backdrop views of Los Angeles.
Because the house is so small, they limit the number of guests who can schedule at the same time. There were four of us friends who went, and when we arrived, there were 8 others already there. (Remember I said we were late?) Yeah.
Anyway, they only allow you to park in the carport / driveway and it only holds four cars, so you have to assume about 16 is the max capacity for any given time slot.
Randy was our docent and he was lovely. He did a great job of briefing us outside the house about important safety info such as, "If you step off the concrete and into gravel you might fall off the mountain" and other helpful hints like that. My goal is always not to die on vacation, so I paid close attention.
Before allowing entrance to the house, the docent also reviews the many guidelines of what you can and can't do on the property regarding photographs, etc. You have to read and sign liability waiver, a photo release form and agree to all the rules before you go in. After being there, I completely understand why there are so many rules and why no children under the age of 10 or pets are permitted as it truly is a safety issue. There are no fences preventing someone from falling off the mountain.
Once everyone has signed the waivers and rules forms, you go into the pool area through the carport door, where you immediately see the iconic view of the side angle of the house and roof line. At that point, the docent has already asked everyone to wait a few minutes before approaching the house so that each person can have the opportunity to take photos of the house from that vantage point without any people in the shot. Take your pics NOW because someone will invariably just wander into your shot and then you've missed your chance. You can see in my photos what I mean.
After that, you approach the house, where you are asked to remove your shoes and then you're free to go inside and wander. There are a couple areas that are blocked off as "private" areas where you can't go and believe me, there's no sneaking in there either because the place is so small and totally made of glass, so everyone will see you!
After about 30 to 45 minutes of oohing, aaahing, milling around admiring everything and taking photos, the docent will gather the entire group in the living room and give you a full history of the property, talk about the Stahl family, how the house came to be, and answer your questions. Tidbit: The house is furnished by Design Within Reach, so if you fall in love with the looks you can buy the same furnishings.
What I loved about choosing the latest tour of the day is that you get to see the house and the view in full daylight, at sunset, passing through twilight and in complete darkness. To me, that was like getting more than one tour because the house looks and feels different in each light.
Daylight tours are $35 each, however for the late tour we paid $50 a head, but at some point I assume the price will go up, as all things do. The evening tour is, IMO, well worth the extra money.
You have to come here with a mindset of SLOW. If you've ever been to that ginormous house in Asheville NC where it takes you 90 minutes just to see all the rooms, be advised that The Stahl House is the POLAR opposite. It's small, so you can walk every inch of the permitted areas in about 3 minutes. The point isn't the size of the home or the length of the tour, it's the history of the family and the house, the design elements that will never be able to be duplicated again because of government regulation and intervention and the sheer beauty and daring of the architecture and ideas behind it. If you're a fan of architecture, particularly midcentury modern, this is a must-see when you're in LA!
