Hansen Construction

H. J. Hansen, Contractor and Builder

Hansen Contracting business envelope

In 1886, Hans Jacob Hansen came to America as a natural citizen because he was under eighteen years old. He lived on his father's farm north of Ames and worked for builders in the area. To learn English, Hans attended Bloomfield School with students much younger. When he was 25, Hans returned to Denmark and studied at Kjong Hojskole in Glamsberg to develop his carpentry skills. Returning to Ames in 1898, he worked for Thompson and Duntz Construction. The next year he started his own contracting business building barns on Story County farms. In 1907, Hans married Ellen Peterson, a Swedish immigrant. Hans and Ellen had two children, Robert Hansen and Ruth Hansen Boast.


Buildings by Hans J. Hansen
1899 1899 1900 1900 1900 1903 1903 1903 1903 1903 1903 1904 1906 1907 1907 1908 1908 1909 1910 1910 1910 1910 1911 1911 1911 1911 1912	J.K. Peterson home, Nevada N. Nelson barn, 612 Burnett Hans Hansen workshop, 612 Burnett John Taylor barn, SE of Ames Frank Kinsman barn, Nevada A. Bartholomew home, 612 Burnett Frank Cupps home, 203 E. 6th Sunshine Club, 218 Welch Walter Grove barn Frank Warren barn John Mather barn, Nevada Peter Christofferson barn George Brown home, Gilbert U. Brethren parsonage, 312 S. 2nd A. Bartholomew home, 604 Grand Ave. C.E. Bartholomew home, 608 Grand Ave. Bartholomew home, 503 Grand Ave. H.W. Kingsbury home, Nevada Arvid Alm home, 219 Sherman Frank Cobb home, west Ames Jim Dale barn Julius T. Jensen home J.K. Peterson barn, Nevada Sam Allen home, north of campus Frank Warren home, Ames Peterson home, Maxwell Chautauqua Auditorium, Ames
Located on the edge of the city cemetery, this building was used for public events. It was later enclosed and in 1927 the Chautauqua Auditorium was moved to the intersection of Grand Avenue and Lincoln Way for use as the Ames High Fieldhouse.
1913 1913 1914 1914 1915 1916 1918 1918 1920 1920 1920 1920 1923 1924 1924 1930 1930 1930 1931 1936 1937 1940 ???? ????	Frank Cobb barns, west Ames Henry Banks home L.W. Foreman home Jennie Crosby home, 618 7th Carrie P. Murphy home, 918 Burnett Charles Reynolds home, 704 Burnett Frank Kingsbury barns (2) Peter Lange barn Faber home, 813 9th T.J. Maney home, 920 Brookridge Calvin Ringgenberg barn, SW of Ames A. Kelly barn, N. of Airport Road J.S. Dodds home, 213 8th Frank Thies home, 320 8th L.W. Foreman home, 427 Lynn Mrs. J.K. Peterson home, Nevada Peter Lang Home, E. 16th Hans Rasmussen corn crib, E. of Ames H.P. Jensen barn, W. of Oakes Golf Course Hans Hansen rental home, 1119 Curtiss M. Chipman home, 1119 Marston Ruth Hansen Boast home, 1115 Curtiss Ghrist barn William Taylor barn

One of his first barns was one Hans built for himself on the back lot of 612 Burnett in 1900. He lived in two rooms of this barn which had plastered walls and heating stoves. The barn had a haymow on the second level and below was stable and wagon and buggy space. Hansen lived in the barn until he married in 1907 and moved into a showhouse he had built on the lot in 1903, complete with birch floors, living room and parlor. In 1940, after a long and noteworthy career, Hans retired from building homes, but continued using his carpentry skills by making furniture. He lived in his house until he died in 1962 at the age of 90.

adapted from The Iowa Barn Foundation
Fall '98; Vol. 1; No. 2

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Hans Hansen construction drawing from 1898

On the reverse side of the drawing is an explanation in Danish.

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The signature of Hans Hansen is found in the lower right corner of this construction drawing.

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