Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object ID |
CLPA-1998.001.0000 |
Object Name |
Courthouse |
Description |
Littleton Municipal Courthouse building, located at 2069 W. Littleton Blvd., Littleton, CO, 80120; large Mission Revival style building, with three stories, constructed of brick and stone masonry, hipped roof, central cupola, curvilinear parapets; overhanging eaves with stone brackets at each corner. From the Littleton Municipal Court House Fact Sheet: Events leading up to the building of the court house in Littleton began in 1901. A bill was passed by the state legislature in 1902 to create "South Arapahoe County" from the vast territory that had been the old Arapahoe County. At that time, Arapahoe County extended for 30 miles north and south, and from Sheridan Boulevard to the Kansas line. The governor named Littleton as the temporary Arapahoe County seat pending a decision by the electorate. Littleton saw its opportunity for future growth and influence and challenged rival Englewood over the next two years in a vigorous campaign to become the permanent county seat. Promotions included a free barbecue and potato roast, complete with dancing and horse racing. Meanwhile, county officials shared space in the two-story frame town hall that stood at 2450 West Main Street and awaited the outcome of the election. (J.J.B. Benedict's 1920 Town Hall was later built on this site.) When the votes were cast on November 8, 1904, Littleton won handily. In July 1907, A.B. McDonald was awarded the contract to erect the court house for $51,845. English-trained architect, John J. Huddart, "one of Denver's most talented 19th century architects," was chosen to design the new court house. Architect Huddart designed an imposing building in Mission Revival style with a hipped roof clad with clay tiles, a central cupola and curvilinear parapets. Classical Revival details included pilasters and elaborate entrances, cornices and moldings. Construction was of brick and stone masonry. Overhanging eaves had stone brackets at each corner. Fifteen hundred people attended the dedication on Wednesday evening, January 15, 1908, and found the court house brilliantly lighted with electricity that had been brought to Littleton only five years earlier. Luncheon was served earlier that day at noon, and dancing was the order of the evening. The original structure housed the jail in the basement, offices on the first floor, court rooms on the second floor and juror rooms in the attic. The county continued to use the complex until 1987 when the district courts moved to a new justice center near Centennial Airport, several miles east of Littleton. The old building sat vacant for ten years in a continuing state of disrepair with birds, raccoons, and bats as its only occupants. The county considered refurbishing it and sharing the space with the city, each taking one floor, but eventually decided the cost was too much and the amount of space too little. Demolition was a possibility. City officials and preservation-minded citizens saw an alternative in recycling the building for badly needed municipal court space. Arapahoe County and the City of Littleton reached an agreement in early 1998 under which the county deeded the property to the Littleton Municipal Building Authority and committed funds toward asbestos abatement and removal of the west annex, which had been constructed in 1948 and later described as a "haphazard addition that marred the original design." Rhodes Construction of Fort Collins was awarded the contract for renovation. Andrews and Anderson from Golden was the principal architect. The project budget included construction, furnishings, landscaping and other necessary costs, was approximately $3.5 million. One of the first steps was to demolish the three-story annex with an 8,000 pound wrecking ball. The Colorado Historical Society awarded the city a grant of $324,231 from the State Historical Fund to restore the exterior of the building to its original condition. This was used to replace, seal and repair the exterior masonry, reconstruct the west entry (which was destroyed with the 1948 addition was attached), replace the original 90-year-old roof, restore the cupola, and rehabilitate the windows, many of which had been bricked over or replaced by glass blocks. Most exterior doors were replaced with units similar to the original. The final restoration components included metal cornice restoration and miscellaneous rehabilitation items. Inside, all electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning had to be replaced. When the original tiled entry floors were uncovered, the original tiled 1908 Arapahoe County emblem, a large "A" encircled by a laurel wreath rendered in cream, white, burgundy and green tiles, was revealed. This became the color scheme that was followed throughout the interior rehabilitation. The exception was the original tin ceiling in the second floor court room that was discovered when a false ceiling was removed. It had been painted in soft green and yellow. Those colors and the terrazzo stairs were thought to have come from a renovation done in the late 930s or 1940s. Both were retained. Gleaming new hardwood floors, cherrywood stair rails, furniture and judges' benches added the finishing touches. The project was completed on time and under budget. Rededication of the court house took place May 13, 2000, and was followed by public tours. The municipal courts opened for business there in June. The building that has dominated the Littleton skyline for 100 years provides an important architectural element at the eastern end of downtown, where the Littleton Main Street Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. The Littleton City Council approved historic landmark status for the court house on September 1, 1998. This information was gathered from the City of Littleton web site www.littletongov.org/history/ histlandmarks/arapCourthouse.asp, compiled by Doris Farmer Hulse, and from a prior edition of the Littleton Municipal Courthouse fact sheet. |
Date |
1907 |
Caption |
Littleton Municipal Courthouse, c.2010 |
Search Terms |
Building, Arapahoe County Courthouse Gov, Arapahoe County Courthouse Gov, COL, Courthouse |