West side of the building with entrance, July 2020.
Welcome to the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum. Allow me to introduce to you one of my favorite home-grown institutions, where I have happily served as a volunteer docent for over five years.
Our local history museum is located in the former El Paso County courthouse. The building was commissioned in 1899 and completed in 1903, then served as the county courthouse until the early 1970s. It was clearly built to last, but very nearly fell victim to urban renewal during the 1960s and -70s. If it weren’t for a group of engaged (and enraged) citizens, this gem would have been reduced to rubble, like other iconic downtown Colorado Springs structures.
The museum relocated from its previous, far smaller quarters into these more spacious surroundings, and reopened its doors in 1979. The building not only houses myriad fascinating artifacts, but represents the most elaborate showpiece of the entire collection. Though few people today fail to be impressed by its commanding presence, it has not always enjoyed favorable sentiments. Rather, it was embroiled in a series of controversies from the start.
Southeast corner with surrounding Alamo Square Park, June 2017.
Similar angle in February 2018. What a difference 8 months can make!
Situated in the middle of Alamo Square Park, the site was originally known as South Park and was the counterpoint to North Park (present-day Acacia Park) several city blocks north. Against the wishes of many lawyers, who would have preferred their future work place nearer their elegant homes in what is now called The Old North End neighborhood, the more southern location was chosen. Local residents protested the felling of trees from South Park, which had been painstakingly planted and raised. And, to add fuel to the fire, the appointment of the architect, Augustus J. Smith, with his what some considered an inadequate résumé, ruffled feathers among the architectural establishment, who were aghast that an outsider would get credit for what promised to be a prestigious project. But no gnashing of teeth or maligning resulted in the reversal of the county commissioners’ choice, and Augustus immortalized himself by erecting the 9th incarnation of the El Paso County courthouse in the then-popular Italian Renaissance Revival style, modeled after imposing Renaissance residences in Italy.
Characterized by flat or low-pitched roofs, wide eaves, central cupolas, vertical and arched windows, the design of the courthouse also pays homage to Greek antiquity by incorporating, in order of increasing complexity, Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns. This classification is based on the elaborateness of the columns’ capitals (or crowns), not the shafts. While the building base is solid and square and adorned with sturdy Doric columns, the architecture becomes more detailed and elaborate before culminating in Corinthian columns in the seemingly central clock tower. Not unlike a wedding cake, to which it has been compared, its most eye-catching features adorn the top.
To honor its rootedness in the American West, the edifice incorporates Manitou Springs green sandstone in its foundation, and Platte Canyon granite and lava rock in its walls, materials all quarried in Colorado. The ornate if not slightly ostentatious enterprise came at a cost, but $420,000 seemed an appropriate price to pay for the then 30-year-old community of Colorado Springs. By the turn of the 20th century, not only did it enjoy a growing reputation as a health resort for sufferers of tuberculosis, it also benefitted from the river of gold flowing down the slopes of Pikes Peak, where the precious metal had been discovered in 1891.
View from the northwest corner with reflection in the adjacent building, July 2019.
In case you are surprised at the opulence you see before you, a recent article in our newspaper suggested that of all the historic courthouses in Colorado’s 64 counties, our local El Paso County example is by no means the most lavish or luxurious (though it might afford the most stupendous view).
April 2016. Westard view from the clock tower, showing the Front Range with Pikes Peak in the distance, and in the foreground, the 10th El Paso County courthouse, successor to its much more attractive antecedent.
If you enjoyed today’s tour, which highlighted some of the building’s history and exterior, I hope you will join me again one week hence, when I will give you a glimpse of the museum’s interior treasures.
tanja britton 
And to think someone is so proud of designing their concrete box replacement!
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You get no argument from me!
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Quite a contrast! Sure says a lot about how styles change. Looking forward to next week’s installment.
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Quite the contrast, indeed. Different times, different tastes, I get it, but I’m generally not a fan of modern architecture, with a few exceptions. Thank you for be willing to return to next week’s tour. 🙂
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Looking forward to it!
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Thank you, Laurie! 🙂
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I’m in agreement with you there! So much modern architecture looks harsh and rather brutal to me…I much prefer the look of older buildings.
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Thank you, Ann. We are not alone in our opinion. 🙂
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Hi. What’s the average number of people in each of the tours that you lead?
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Hi Neil,
For most of our tours, visitors don’t have to sign up, and I have given them to one person or to groups counting upward of 20 people. Most of the time there are between 5 and 10. I think the smaller groups benefit more from what we docents tell them, as it’s easier to engage with fewer individuals.
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Yeah, smaller can be better!
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You’re right: not many courthouses offer a view of the Rocky Mountains. Good for the preservationists who managed to save the building.
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I’m sure there are some courthouses in the more mountainous counties that offer spectacular views, too, but there is nothing wrong with a little hometown pride. 🙂
I’m always grateful for those community activists who stood up for their beliefs and preserved this building for posterity.
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So you’re saying that rather than sit on their posteriors they stood up for posterity.
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No, YOU are saying that, but I wish I had. 🙂
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Spannend, Tanja!
Pass gut auf dich auf bei deinen wunderbaren Führungen.
Liebe Grüße aus der Blogpause,
Brigitte
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Dankeschön, liebe Brigitte. Momentan machen wir nur Führungen im Freien, und nur mit Maske und Sicherheitsabstand. Also hoffen wir, daß alles gut geht!
Ich hoffe Du genießt Deine Blogpause, wenn es auch bei Euch sehr heiß ist.
Herzliche Grüße aus Colorado,
Tanja
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Can’t wait to see what’s inside! 🙂
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Thank you, Nirmala. Coming soon…
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As soon as I saw the photo of the old courthouse, I thought, “Courthouse!” There are some differences, but it’s remarkably similar to the courthouse in my Iowa hometown, and nearly identical to some I’ve seen in Kansas and Missouri. That makes sense, of course, since many of them were built in the same general era.
I especially enjoyed seeing it in snow. That’s a lovely photo. As for the current courthouse, let’s just say it’s not to my taste. I’ll bet the new one’s equally uninteresting on the inside; I’m looking forward to a peek inside your repurposed one.
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Great observation, Linda. Many of the courthouses built at the turn of the 20th century share similar features, even if they are not build in the same architectural style.
And I share your taste with regard to the successor. The one interesting feature inside is a mural in the entrance hall that is illuminated at night. I’m attaching a link (you need to scroll down the page until you get to Judicial Complex): https://www.elpasoco.com/el-paso-county-art/
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The mural’s really attractive, but some of the other art’s appealing, too. It’s rare to find a building that ‘shines’ more at night than during the day, but I’d say the Judicial Complex does.
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It certainly adds an appealing touch to an otherwise sterile building.
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Looking forward to seeing that interior!
I have to say I think I like the snowy photo the best. After nearly 40 years living in the north I never thought I would want to see snow for the rest of my life but I am starting to miss it just a bit ❄️🙂
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Thank you, JoAnn. You are the second person to comment on the snowy photo. I also like the atmosphere and I remember it was especially cozy inside that day. And you have mentioned missing snow. I would, too. I like living somewhere with distinct seasons. Maybe you need to take a little vacation each year to a wintry destination. 🙂 ❄⛄
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Yes perhaps 🙂
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