The main entrance consists of a double door with a transom window and a portal in empire-style. The pilasters are fluted and the portal is finished off with a plain frieze and a simple cornice.

In 1920 the Norwegian parliament passed its first act for preservation of old buildings and this led to a period with vigorous and nationwide registration activity, the county of Finnmark included. This is how Altagård was described in the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments' annual report of 1933:
"The building complex is structured around an open square courtyard with its focal point being the main house, the latter a large log building with vertical external cladding, symmetrical elevations and on the middle of the roof, which originally was hipped but now rebuilt to be pitched, an open octagonal pavilion with a pointed octagonal spire. Built during the 1740s by county governor Rasmus Kjeldsen, who in order to build the 42 alen (47.88m) by 16 alen (18.24m) building set up a saw mill which he was ordered to dismantle as it would ruin the forest and damage the king's coffers."