Encino home with carpentry by Harrison Ford sells for $6.51 million

An Encino home once owned by actor and comedian Dick Van Dyke and, after him, Brazilian musician Sergio Mendes has sold for $6.512 million.

During Mendes’ ownership, he hired a construction crew that included a young Harrison Ford to build a recording studio on the property. Ford would go on to star in “American Graffiti” and “Star Wars — A New Hope” in the years that followed.

The property previously changed hands about two decades ago for $1.25 million, records show. It had been listed in April for $8.995 million before the price was chopped to $6.995 million in June.

Tucked behind hedges and gates, the Italian villa-style home also has a sports pedigree of note. Pelé once visited the property as a guest of Mendes and played soccer on the park-like grounds.

Fronted by a horseshoe-shaped driveway, the 12,015-square-foot house has a skylight-lit foyer, a living room with a stone fireplace, a dining room, a center-island kitchen, three bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms. Amenities such as a wine cellar, a theater, a gym and an elevator also lie within the home.

Outside, the acre-plus setting has a stone patio and landscaping that surrounds a swimming pool and spa. Elsewhere is an outdoor kitchen, a fire pit and a tennis court. Across from the main house, a separate villa provides three additional en suite bedrooms.

There’s also a subterranean garage.

Jacob Dadon of John Aaroe Group was the listing agent. Lisa Gaber of L.A. Property Investment repped the buyer.

neal.leitereg@latimes.com

Twitter: @NJLeitereg

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