4347 Tosca Road
Woodland Hills, CA 91364

George Letts, Architect | The Crail Residence, 1966. Nestled in a grove of mature live oaks on a gently sloping site in the aptly named woodland hills, this well-preserved mid-century modern home is a fine example of the artistic experimentation so prevalent in the era. In a collaboration between the designer and homeowner, an aerospace engineer who acted as his own contractor, and perhaps inspired by Case Study House #20, The Bass House in Altadena by architects Buff, Straub & Hensman, the wood post-and-beam structure is visually expressed, the primary living areas are enlivened by plywood barrel vaults, and the boundary between inside and out is dissolved by floor-to-ceiling glass. In addition, the home was ahead of its time from the perspective of energy conservation, with its back to the sun on the south elevation, a band of clerestory windows running the length of the building, and open walls embracing the gentler light facing north. The result is an exciting composition that is at once both formal and informal, a machine for living in the landscape, with a front elevation evocative of Mondrian or Reitveld, and a feeling that is quintessentially Southern Californian, with an open plan and an indoor/outdoor lifestyle. Original details remain intact: Slumpstone wood-burning fireplace, vintage kitchen appliances, and authentic bathroom fixtures. The property includes two lots, with a flat pad and room for a pool in the middle.