The old district recorder's estate is one of few magnificent buildings that survived the devastation of World War II. Originally the building was the residence of Anton K. Larsen who was the fishing station owner. Larsen ran a large-scale operation until the economic collapse of the 1930s. In 1933 the Central Bank of Norway purchased the residence. This was because the Municipality of Vardø enforced property sale because of outstanding taxes. Jon Andraa, a representative in the Norwegian Parliament and former mayor of Vardø, later bought the estate from the bank. In 1948 Andraa sold it to the Department of Justice which used it as a post for the district recorder. The building was sold again in 2004 and today is under private ownership.

After the estate was constructed, Anton K. Larsen installed a weather vane with his own initials on top of the oriel. In 1990, a matching replica replaced it.