Well-preserved 1970s Encino house with conversation pit seeks $875K

In the 1992 film Encino Man, a caveman is discovered in a backyard, perfectly preserved in a block of ice. Ice did not preserve this 1970 Encino house, but like that caveman, it has been frozen in time.

From the kitchen to the bathrooms, there are many original features from the 1970s, the most prominent of which is a conversation pit with built-in seating that faces a brick-fronted fireplace and overlooks the yard. (Conversation pits are totally making a comeback.)

There’s a second entrance into the home via a “service room,” which holds the laundry machines, a half bathroom, and a built-in sewing machine.

The yard will likely need some upgrades (it’s mostly gravel now, it seems) but the large, 10,000 square foot lot could become a great backyard oasis or even accommodate a pool, the listing notes.

The three-bedroom house was designed by Benton & Park, a duo of architects William Benton and Donald Park, the latter of whom studied and worked with midcentury master A. Quincy Jones. Some of Benton & Park’s other works have popped up elsewhere in Encino and in Crestwood Hills.

This home last sold in 1979 for $155,000, public records show. It’s now listed for $875,000.

• 17823 Delano Street [Scott Barbee/Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices]