Old Arapahoe Courthouse, Denver Colorado

Leave a Comment / History
Home | Blog | Art | History | Contact

A snapshot of history

If you happened to be standing at the corner of 16th and Court Place back in the early 1880’s you would be looking at a magnificent building. It was called the Arapahoe County Court House and was often mistaken for the State Capitol Building. Now sits a black box of a building that is the Downtown Denver Sheraton. 

Call#: X-18693, Credit: Denver Public Library Special Collections, 1887
Call#: X-18693, Credit: Denver Public Library Special Collections, 1887

The original Arapahoe Court House construction started in 1881 and was completed in 1883. It was built from sandstone, quarried near Canyon City Colorado, as a 3-story building with a basement at the total cost of $432,602.74. Its dome was second highest in the city, first place went to the State Capitol Building that was the highest at that time. In 1893, ten years later a fourth floor was added to the building, making it even more like the capitol.

Call#: X-18852, Credit: Denver Public Library Special Collections, 1889

You might ask, why was there an Arapahoe County Court House located in downtown Denver, which is currently Denver County? From 1861 to 1902 Denver was the established seat of Arapahoe County. Arapahoe County was one of 17 original counties carved out of the Colorado Territory. 

Call#: CHS.J2611, Credit: History Colorado, William Henry Jackson Collection, 1892-1900?

In 1902 the citizens of Colorado voted on an amendment to the Colorado Constitution to split Arapahoe County into three parts, a new consolidated City, County of Denver and Adams County. This changed the boundaries of the County and caused the Arapahoe County seat to move to Littleton, the Courthouse then became obsolete. 

Call#: H-257, Credit: Denver Public Library Special Collections, 1886-1901?

For many years, city planners tried to figure out where to build the new city hall. In 1932 the new City and County Building opened which then housed the mayor, city council, and county and district courts.

Call#: Rh-469, Credit: Denver Public Library Special Collections,1900-1930?

In 1933 the Old Arapahoe Courthouse was finally demolished to create a new park called “Courthouse Square”. In 1957 it became Zeckendorf Plaza with an ice-skating rink. Soon after the May D&F built their new department store. Then in the 1990s all was demolished and the current building was built. Not much of this old building remains other than distant memories and old photographs from that time. 

Call#: X-23957, Credit: Denver Public Library Special Collections, 1933
Postcards_wLogo_web2

Thanks for wandering with us,

The Wandering Couchs

TWC Logo