The Severin Sorensen House in Gering dates from 1910. Sorensen, a Danish immigrant, headed the S. Sorensen and Sons firm, which operated the Gering Brick Company and did work as general building contractors. As a locally prominent businessman, Sorensen played a significant role in the early industrial interests of Gering. His brick factory prospered for nearly 30 years and provided building material for the construction of numerous residential and commercial buildings in the North Platte Valley. The Severin Sorensen House demonstrates the Sorensens' approach to residential comfort and style, expressed through the family craft of brick making. The Sorensen family constructed the original house in 1910 as a basement house and added the first story sometime between 1914 and 1916.

Several factors may have influenced Severin Sorensen’s design of his house. A native of Denmark, Sorensen may have drawn upon his ancestral customs in the design layout of the dwelling. Brick houses were common in Denmark in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and the Danish were fond of clean and modern habitations. Another influencing factor may have been economics.  As the owner of the Gering Brick Company, Sorensen utilized the readily available brick from the family-owned business to build his home. The economic conditions of the time most likely allowed for only the construction of a basement house for the Sorensen family, and the family of 12 lived in only four rooms for a period of time. A few years later, likely as business improved, Sorensen enlarged the dwelling and added the first story.

Severin Sorensen House National Park Service

The house is a unique vernacular product of the Renaissance Revival style, which was popular in much of the United States in the mid-to-late-19th century, although not popular in Nebraska until the early years of the 20th century. Compared to other Renaissance Revival buildings in Nebraska, the Sorensen House is modest in size and design.  Despite its modesty, the house displays key features of the style—a formal plan; projecting entrances, porches, or balconies; belt or stringcourses; heavy cornices; and raised entries.  The relatively late settlement patterns in western Nebraska produced simplified vernacular styles of architecture compared to similar buildings farther east. High styles, such as Queen Anne and Italianate, dominated the architectural scene in eastern Nebraska.  The smaller, less pretentious vernacular styles of western Nebraska, though, played an important role in developing the Scotts Bluff area’s local architectural character.