National Register Listing

Alamosa County Courthouse

a.k.a. 5AL263

702 Fourth St., Alamosa, CO

Alamosa County which is the youngest county in the state of Colorado was formed by an Act approved in the Nineteenth General Assembly in Senate Bill #545 by Senator W. H. Adams. Alamosa County was created from parts of Conejos and Costilla Counties. The act was approved on March 18, 1913, at 4:50 PM. At that time the County Commissioners who were in office were Chairman A. L. Moss, County Commissioner W. R. Pyke, and County Commissioner H. Emperius.

The City of Alamosa was incorporated in 1878 and is the largest city in the San Luis Valley. Since Alamosa was incorporated, it has always been known as the hub of the San Luis Valley. Alamosa had grown to be the railroad center of the San Luis Valley within a period of ten years. Agriculture was dominated by potatoes. Also, flour mills had been built in Alamosa to process the wheat that was grown extensively across the San Luis Valley. The land was great for raising sheep which brought in carloads of lambs for fattening. The Alamosa area was transformed into a large agricultural center.

On August 4, 1913, the County Commissioners voted to rent space from District Judge C. C. Holbrook for a period of three years in the amount of $1,600 per year. The site was one block east of the present courthouse complex.

Then on August 28, 1913, Mr. Holbrook attended a County Commissioners meeting and stated that as far as he was concerned, the agreement was not binding and if the Commissioners wanted to rent space elsewhere, they were free to do so. The County Commissioners then decided to investigate the idea of a courthouse. Unfortunately due to financial constraints, the idea of a courthouse was tabled.

At a meeting held on January 6, 1914, District Judge C.C. Holbrook submitted three proposals to the County Commissioners for space rental one of which would include "two rooms on Lots 6 and 7, Block 39 on Fourth Street. Changes and improvements would be at the expense of Mr. Holbrook, however, the expense would be taken out of the rent for $1,700 per year. The contract was executed as Charles C. Holbrook as lessor and the Board of Alamosa County Commissioners as lessee.

At a County Commissioners meeting held on November 14, 1935, the County Commissioners authorized the Chairman to sign a WPA project proposal number six. The project was to consist of a one-story U-shaped Civic Center Building of Spanish Style. The building was to be constructed with concrete foundations, the first floor reinforced concrete slab and beam with finish oak floor, stuccoed brick walls-frame coiling, and a flat roof for a total cost of $35,445. Alamosa County's contribution to be $10,328.08.

County Commissioners approved the bids for electrical, heating, and plumbing on December 7, 1936. In order to provide adequate facilities for the county offices, the County Commissioners decided to add another story to the courthouse. The second story was to be added to the east and west wings to bring the courthouse to one level.

The bids for heating, plumbing and electrical were then rejected.

On Saturday, May 22, 1937, an impressive ceremony took place to lay the cornerstone at the Alamosa County Courthouse. During the ceremony, Masonic dignitaries, city and county officials, and executives of the WPA were present. In the cornerstone were placed lists of WPA and county officials and county employees and a copy of the Daily Courier and other miscellaneous items.

The County Assessor was the first county official to be able to move into the new east wing of the county courthouse. The move took place on July 22, 1937. On March 15, 1938, the County Treasurer and the County Clerk and Recorder moved into the east wing of the new courthouse complex.

Christmas of 1937 appeared to be very joyous at the Courthouse. A number of WPA employees placed a large Christmas tree on the center pedestal of the fountain. The tree was painted aluminum and decorated with blue lights. Smaller trees were grouped around the large tree and red lights were placed. Several groups who were interested in singing Christmas carols were invited to use the central patio.

There were many projects done by the WPA that took place in Alamosa. Projects consisted of curb, gutter and oiling projects on the city streets. The WPA had 15 zone offices located in the State of Colorado, one of which was located in Alamosa
During 1937, many large projects took place but the largest construction in Alamosa was the construction of the Alamosa County Courthouse. During the time that the courthouse was being built, the brick kiln located north of Alamosa had been unused for 15 years and had been reconditioned by the WPA to produce 750,000 bricks, 450,000 bricks were for the construction of the courthouse.

Clay and sand excavated at the site of the brick plant were mixed for the bricks, which after pressing were placed in the open for four or five days for curing. The bricks were then placed in a kiln where they were burned for 16 to 18 days. The brick kiln had the capacity of 228,000 bricks at burning Mr. George Hettler who was the foreman while making the bricks for the courthouse died in early January 1937. In order to build the Alamosa County Courthouse, the WPA allocated $39,712 and Alamosa County contributed $31,1497 which included the addition.

The last unit to be built was the Alamosa County Jail located on the Southwest corner of the courthouse. The unit consisted of a jail on the second floor and an apartment for the jailor on the first floor. The women's jail was located in the west end of the south unit.
On July 8, 1938, a large number of employees from the WPA lifted the jail unit to the second floor of the new jail. The jail unit was part of the older jail located in the alley between Fourth and Main Street. In order to remove the jail unit, the south wall of the old jail had to be removed.

There is one more mission-style building in Alamosa. The building is the Sacred Heart Church located across the street from the Alamosa County Courthouse. The church was built in 1927 for $100,000. The church is also a brick building with a stucco finish.
The Alamosa county courthouse continues to be the showplace in Alamosa. The County of Alamosa is very proud of its courthouse while still being the center for the carriage of justice.

Local significance of the building:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1995.