Building permit records show that 1154 Clarkson Street was constructed in 1890. It was designed by the architecture firm of Balcomb and Rice and built by builder Frank Bayer for owner G. G. Russell. Architects Robert G. Balcomb and Eugene R. Rice formed a partnership in 1886 and opened their first office in the now demolished Tabor Block at 16th and Larimer streets. The firm designed numerous Queen Anne style homes in the late 1880s and early 1890s, many of which are landmarked, such as Flower-Vaile House (1610 Emerson Street), and the National Register-listed Bouvier-Lathrop House (1600 Emerson Street) and John S. Flower House (1618 Ogden Street).
Research did not reveal information about owner G. G. Russell, but the home was likely built as an investment. Charles Gomber Mantz purchased the home around 1900. The house stayed in the Mantz family for the next eighty-four years. Mantz worked in the investment and loan business.
