 Like many of his contemporaries in trade and shipping, Søbøtker became a very wealthy member of an emerging bourgeoisie which was becoming a major force in the 19th century and was acquiring the habits that had previously been reserved for the aristocracy.Over recent decades, it had become common for people to build stately summer residences north of the city while spending winters in a town mansion in Copenhagen.In 1806, Søbøtker acquired a farm, "Øregaard", in Hellerup and commissioned the French architect Joseph-Jacques Ramée to build a suitable country house on the property.