The Creative and Architectural Legacy of the Roxy Roth House

Schindler image courtesy Wikipedia

The Roxy Roth House at 3624 Buena Park Drive in Studio City is back on the market, offering another look at one of the San Fernando Valley’s important hillside modernist homes. Designed by R.M. Schindler in 1946, the home is currently listed for $2,495,000. The listing describes it as a 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom residence with approximately 1,964 square feet on an 8,132-square-foot lot.

The house was built during the postwar period, when creative professionals from the film, music, and radio industries were increasingly looking “over the hill” to Studio City for privacy, larger lots, hillside settings, and sweeping Valley views. The original owner, Roxy Roth, fit that creative world perfectly. Roth was a musician, writer, and actor who graduated from the Juilliard School of Music, performed in Latin and Hawaiian bands, managed a musical combo at the Clover Club on the Sunset Strip, and later wrote for radio and television, including Life With Elizabeth, starring Betty White.

While there does not appear to be a direct quote explaining why Roth commissioned Schindler, the match makes sense. Schindler’s homes were not conventional suburban houses. His work was shaped by space, light, climate, privacy, and mood — qualities that would have appealed to a creative client looking for something more personal and expressive.

The Roth House is a compact but highly thoughtful example of that approach. Set above the street at the end of a cul-de-sac, the home uses its hillside position to frame panoramic views across the San Fernando Valley. Inside, original Schindler built-ins, custom storage, shifting ceiling lines, clerestory windows, and a large picture window give the home a sculptural quality that feels far larger than its square footage.

The listing notes that the home has had only four owners across nearly eight decades, all connected to creative fields. One of the most notable recent owners was author Susan Orlean, who purchased the property with her husband in 2007. They later hired architect Barbara Bestor to convert the original carport into an approximately 400-square-foot writer’s studio / office, adding a separate creative workspace while respecting the home’s Schindler character.

The sale history shows the home’s long-term appeal. Redfin records show the property sold on May 28, 1999 for $480,000, then again on April 26, 2007 for $1,525,000. It was listed in March 2018 for $2,195,000 and sold on July 2, 2018 for $2,000,000. More recently, it returned to the market in December 2025, had a price change in February 2026, and was listed again on May 12, 2026 for $2,495,000.

The Roxy Roth House stands out because it connects several threads of Valley history: postwar growth, Hollywood creativity, hillside modernism, Schindler’s experimental architecture, and preservation-minded ownership. It is not just a Studio City listing — it is a creative retreat and a reminder that some of the San Fernando Valley’s most important architectural stories are tucked into its hills.

Property Details

Address: 3624 Buena Park Drive, Studio City
Architect: R.M. Schindler
Year built: 1946
Current asking price: $2,495,000
Bedrooms / bathrooms: 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Size: Approximately 1,964 square feet
Lot: Approximately 8,132 square feet
Notable features: Original Schindler built-ins, panoramic Valley views, fireplace, native landscaping, hillside fire pit, and separate writer’s studio / office
Studio / office: Approximately 400 square feet, converted from the original carport by Barbara Bestor