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The Hans Ottesen house, built c. 1865-1875, is one of 61 examples of the
Scandinavian pair house type that have been recorded in Utah. Graphically
documenting the migration of thousands of Scandinavian converts to Mormon Utah during the second half of the nineteenth century, the pair house type makes a significant contribution to the architectural history of the state. The Ottesen house is to be included in the thematic nomination, “Scandinavian-American Pair Houses,” listed in the National Register in 1983.
Located at 202 S 200 W in Manti, Utah
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Hans Ottesen was born in Aalborg, Denmark, in 1834. The Ottesens were early converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons, and emigrated to Utah during the 1850s. Hans Ottesen was living in Manti as early as 1860, where he was a farmer and stonemason. Ottesen never married, and probably built this house sometime in the 1865-75 period. On November 2, 1884, Ottesen was brutally murdered by two men during a robbery attempt on the house. In 1886 the house passed to Otto Ottesen, the son of his brother, Jens Ottesen. Otto Ottesen was the sheriff in Manti for many years.
The Hans Ottesen house in Manti is a 1 1/2 story example of the pair house
type. It has three rooms arranged axially under its gable roof. The center
room was the kitchen, and the upstairs rooms were never finished. The house is constructed of the native oolite limestone in the Greek Revival style. The walls were coursed rubble, and the principal facade was originally plastered. Fine limestone sills and pedimented lintels embellish the windows. A bungalow-style porch was added to the front of the house during the 1920s, and the entire house was plastered in 1952. The chimney at the south end has also been removed. These additions do not significantly affect the historic integrity of the home, which remains a good example of the pair house type in Utah.