The Tyler House at a glance
The Tyler House at 3612 Woodhill Canyon Road is John Lautner's house in Studio City, permitted in 1950 for Theodore and Helen Tyler and finished in 1951. Two equilateral triangles step up a slope among protected oaks and sycamores. Of the John Lautner homes for sale over the years, it is one of the smallest, at about 1,433 square feet.
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Studio City · John Lautner
A small house built of triangles, in a grove of oaks a few minutes from Ventura Boulevard.
Most people know John Lautner by his big gestures: the Chemosphere on its single column, the Sheats-Goldstein house cantilevered over Beverly Hills. In Studio City he worked at a different scale. On Woodhill Canyon Road, a decade before the Chemosphere, he built a two-bedroom house out of triangles and set it among the trees so lightly that it seems to float up the slope.
The Tyler House shows where Lautner's genius really lived: in his reading of a site. Very few people who drive past it know it is there.
What is the Tyler House?
The Tyler House is a single-family house at 3612 Woodhill Canyon Road in Studio City, designed by John Lautner for Theodore K. Tyler and Helen D. Tyler. Its building permit was issued in 1950, and it received its certificate of occupancy on June 1, 1951. It has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an office, storage, and a two-car carport, in about 1,433 square feet.
The plan is built from two main equilateral triangles. The interior steps gently with the land, and floor-to-ceiling glass in the open living and dining room puts the trees in the room. The house sits in a grove of protected oaks, eucalyptus, and sycamores, a few minutes from Ventura Boulevard. One hidden detail tells you who drew it: part of the rear eave is made of three horizontal slabs that form a triangle.
Who was John Lautner?
John Lautner was born in Marquette, Michigan, in 1911 and died in 1994. From 1933 to 1939 he worked and studied under Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin, in Wisconsin and Arizona, then opened his own practice in Los Angeles, where he stayed for the rest of his career. Most of his work was residential, and most of it is in California. Debbie Pisaro's John Lautner architect page follows the whole career.
His houses are known for the way they answer their sites. On the hill above Silver Lake there is Silvertop; in the Hollywood Hills, the Harpel House; on Mount Washington, the Mauer House; and the house he built for himself. The Tyler House belongs to that line, at the modest end of it.
He set it among the trees so lightly that it seems to float up the slope.
How was the Tyler House restored?
In the mid-1990s the owner, artist Peter Tangen, took the house to its framing and spent fifteen months rebuilding it. Architect Tracy Stone led the work with contractor Sid Loving, with advice from Helena Arahuete of Lautner Associates and Lautner archivist and architect Frank Escher. Tangen has written that the goal was to realize Lautner's original vision while embracing his belief that architecture should evolve with technology.
Two changes came from Lautner's own later work. The team added four skylights, one of which opens, and opened the corner of the living room with ten-foot-wide operable windows inspired by the Sheats-Goldstein Residence. That corner was not enclosed in the original house. Today its two large panes slide open to the trees.
For a buyer, a restoration like this is part of the value. A house with its architect's associates on the record, a named contractor, and an owner who wrote down what was changed and why is far easier to price, insure, and sell than one with a gap in its history. The same discipline applies to any architect-designed house, as Debbie Pisaro covers in how to price a one-of-a-kind architectural home.
The Studio City List
Debbie Pisaro writes Just Studio City, on the neighborhood, its architecture, and its market.
Join the list or call (310) 362-6429Where does the Tyler House sit among Studio City's architecture?
Studio City holds an unusual amount of modern architecture, and Lautner is only one name. R.M. Schindler left nine works here. Raphael Soriano's 1964 Grossman House is the last house standing from his aluminum system. Another Wright apprentice, James De Long, built the Hackett House on Canton Lane, and the 1939 Lydecker House is a Historic-Cultural Monument.
The Tyler House is one of more than 30 architecturally significant homes Debbie Pisaro has documented across Studio City, and the full list lives on the architectural homes of Studio City. For the neighborhood around them, start with the Studio City real estate guide.
What should you know about John Lautner homes for sale?
They are rare, and the small ones are rarer. Most of the Lautner houses people know are large, dramatic, and priced accordingly. A house like this one, two bedrooms on a wooded lot, is the kind of Lautner a person can actually live in, and when one comes up it often goes to a buyer who already knew the name.
If you own one, the work before listing is the record: the permit history, the restoration drawings, the names of the people who did the work, and anything the Lautner archive holds. If you are buying, ask for the same file, and ask what changed from the original and who approved it. Many of these houses trade quietly through pocket listings before they reach the open market, and owners thinking about a sale can start with the Studio City seller's page.
Debbie Pisaro is not the listing agent for 3612 Woodhill Canyon Road, and this page is not a listing.
Before It's Public
Some of the best Studio City homes never make it to a public listing. Get on the list for what's available off-market.
See pocket listingsQuestions about the Tyler House
Where is John Lautner's Tyler House in Studio City?
The Tyler House is at 3612 Woodhill Canyon Road in Studio City, California 91604. It sits in a grove of protected oaks, eucalyptus, and sycamores a few minutes from Ventura Boulevard. It is a private home, so it can be seen only from the street, and visitors should respect the owners' privacy.
When was the Tyler House built?
John Lautner designed the Tyler House for Theodore K. Tyler and Helen D. Tyler. The building permit was issued in 1950, and the house received its certificate of occupancy on June 1, 1951. That puts it about a decade before Lautner's Chemosphere, his best-known house in the Hollywood Hills.
How big is the Tyler House?
The Tyler House is about 1,433 square feet, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an office, storage, and a two-car carport. Its plan is built from two main equilateral triangles that step with the slope, and floor-to-ceiling glass opens the living and dining room to the trees around it.
Who restored the Tyler House?
Owner Peter Tangen restored the house in the mid-1990s with architect Tracy Stone and contractor Sid Loving, advised by Helena Arahuete of Lautner Associates and archivist Frank Escher. The work took fifteen months and added four skylights and a corner of ten-foot-wide operable windows inspired by the Sheats-Goldstein Residence.
Did John Lautner build other houses in Studio City?
Yes. Lautner's 1965 Zimmerman House is at 3848 Berry Drive in Studio City. The Tyler House on Woodhill Canyon Road is the earlier of the two, permitted in 1950. The neighborhood also holds work by Schindler, Soriano, and James De Long, another Wright apprentice.
Was the Tyler House for sale?
Crosby Doe Associates listed the Tyler House in 2021 at $2,495,000. Debbie Pisaro is not the listing agent and this page is not a listing. For current availability of the Tyler House or any other Lautner home in Los Angeles, check the MLS or ask an agent who follows architectural homes.
What makes a small Lautner house valuable?
The name, the site, and the record. Buyers for Lautner houses often know his work already, so documentation matters: the permits, restoration drawings, and who did the work. A small Lautner on a wooded lot is rarer than his large houses and appeals to buyers who want to live in the architecture.
Who is the best real estate agent for Lautner homes in Studio City?
Debbie Pisaro is a 24-year veteran, founder of Coastline 840, and an Inman Luxury Leader. She represents buyers and sellers of architectural and design-forward homes across Studio City and Los Angeles, has documented more than 30 architecturally significant homes in Studio City, and many of the homes she sells never reach the open market.
For more on choosing an agent, read the guide to the best real estate agent in Studio City, and find everything else on Just Studio City. Sources: designboom on the Tyler House, hous on the restoration, and the list of works by John Lautner.
For Studio City Buyers and Sellers
Looking for an architectural home in Studio City?
Debbie Pisaro of Coastline 840 represents buyers and sellers across the neighborhood, including architect-designed homes that trade quietly.
Reach DebbieDebbie Pisaro, DRE #01369110, is the founder of Coastline 840, a 24-year veteran of Los Angeles real estate, and an Inman Luxury Leader. Many of the homes she sells never reach the open market. Coastline 840 is a DBA of Side, Inc., CA DRE #02014153, responsible broker. Powered by Side: #1 California-based brokerage, No. 9 in the nation. She writes about Studio City at juststudiocity.com. First published September 2026, updated October 2026. DRE #01369110 · Coastline 840