The earliest Utah newspaper references to John Berntson show his successes (at 43 years old) at the annual Norwegian-American Athletic Club’s ski tournament: 3rd place in the 6-mile cross country ski event and 2nd place in the standing ski jump (Kalmar Andreason). There must be a backstory here, and there is!

Berntson was born in Roiken, Norway in 1890 to parents who had converted to Mormonism in 1884. The family emigrated to Salt Lake City in 1907 to “realize their dreams, to have their home in Zion” (dianet, 2015). John served a mission to Denmark in 1910, married in 1916, and became a US citizen in 1919. By 1931, he was an active contractor in the Salt Lake valley, sometimes with his brother (Berntson Brothers) and sometimes alone (John Berntson).

Family records (jaredryanstowell1, 2023) note that Berntson built this home himself, including the “B” on the chimney and beautiful woodwork inside. The home originally sat on a one-acre plot in the new Country Club Acres subdivision with a tennis court in the back yard, though part of this large lot was later donated for the construction of Parley’s First Ward meeting house next door. The home itself was a Tudor Revival design including a steep gabled roof; tall, narrow windows; prominent chimneys; and half-timbering on the upper story. Other features include the concrete window lintels stamped with geometric patterns and the cast concrete arch above the front door (2336 E 2100 S).

By 1931, Berntson’s firm was winning contracts on large projects: Ogden Depot; Utah State Hospital (Provo); and the crown jewel, the Baskin reservoir in Salt Lake City. Berntson won the reservoir contract by bidding 90 cents lower than the next bid (Competition close). Though it appears that Berntson learned a few lessons on this contract as you can see if you search Utah newspapers in 1933 (Utah digital newspapers).

Berntson lived in this home until the early 1970s. He died in 1980, so I’m not sure if he made the exterior additions in the 1970s: an enclosed shed (1970) and a garage and wood deck (1975). The home is currently assessed at over $1 million (Salt Lake City assessor).