El Paso County is named for the Ute Pass which is “el paso” in Spanish meaning “the pass”.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Douglas County and Elbert County
E – Elbert County and Lincoln County
S – Pueblo County
W – Fremont County and Teller County
Created: November 1, 1861
County Seat:
Colorado City 1861 – 1873
Colorado Springs 1873 – present
County Judicial Complex – Colorado Springs
Location: 270 Tejon Street / East Vermijo Avenue
Built: 2002 – 2006
Style: Modern
Architect: Anderson Mason Dale
Contractor: George Johnson Construction Company
Description: The building faces east and is a five story concrete and glass structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Colorado Springs. The entrance is a glass two story structure in the center of the south building and north building. The roof line is flat. The south building is rectangular and rises five stories. The building houses the County District Court and County Court of the 4th Judicial District. The buildings are named as the Terry R Harris Judicial Complex. The engineer was DLR Group. On the northwest is the five story building County Justice Building.
County Courthouse – Colorado Springs
Location: 215 South Tejon Street / East Vermijo Avenue
Built: 1903 – 1904
Style: Italianate
Architect: A J Smith
Contractor: Archie Gillis and Angus Gillis
Description: The building faces east and is a three story stone and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Colorado Springs. The building has a raised basement of gray colored granite blocks. The north and south entrances are of Doric design. The second story windows are arched with the keystone of each window having a carving of an Indian head representing one of the Indian tribes of the region. In the center of the building is a high square clock tower with four-faced clock and a white colored cupola at the top. In the interior, the building contains marble and bronze. The roof has red colored Spanish titles. In the interior are ornate staircases. The building now houses the Pioneer Museum.
See: National Register of Historic Places – El Paso County Courthouse
County Office Building – Colorado Springs
Location: 28 East Vermijo Avenue / Tejon Street
Built: 1957 – 1960
Style: Modern
Architect: Earle A Deits
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces north and is a five story concrete and aluminum structure. The building was the courthouse until the new courthouse to the north was constructed in 2002 to 2006..The rectangular shaped building is located in the center of Colorado Springs. The main entrance is located at the center of the north front. Vertical dividers separate the windows on the north and south sides. The east and west sides have few windows. The roof line is flat.
First County Courthouse – Colorado City
Location: 2400 West Colorado Avenue / Colbrunn Court
Built: 1859
Style: Log Cabin
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces southwest and is a one story log frame structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of Bancroft Park in the center of the former Colorado City. The building served as the Colorado Territory Capital from 1861 to 1862 when the capital was moved to Golden. The building served as courthouse until 1873. The southwest front has a central entrance flanked by a window on either side. The roof is hipped.
Note: In 1861, El Paso County was one of the 17 original counties.
History: The county was created in 1861 and Colorado City was selected as the county seat. The county first met in the Territorial Council Building on Colorado Avenue. In 1873, the county seat was moved to Colorado Springs. The county rented premises. The first and present courthouse was constructed in 1903 to 1904. In 1960, the County Office Building served as the second courthouse until the County Judicial Center was constructed in 2002 to 2006 as the third courthouse and named as the County Judicial Complex.
County Courthouse – Colorado Springs
Old County Courthouse – Colorado Springs
County Office Building – Colorado Springs
Photos taken 2011
Images 17