Douglas County is named for Stephen Arnold Douglas, who was a United States Senator from Illinois from 1847 to 1861.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Arapahoe County
E – Elbert County
S – El Paso County and Teller County
W – Jefferson County
Created: November 1, 1861
County Seat:
Franktown 1861 – 1864
California Ranch 1864 – 1874
Castle Rock 1874 – present
County Courthouse – Castle Rock
Location: 301 Wilcox Street / 3rd Street
Built: 1979 – 1981
Style: Modern
Architect: Hoover/Berg/Desmond Architects
Contractor: Fischer-White Contractors, Inc.
Description: The building faces east and is a one story red colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The square shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Castle Rock. The building is constructed using native rhyolite stone. The east front has a projecting central section rising three stories with a recessed entrance on the first story. The north and south wings also project. The roof line is flat. The building was expanded in 1998 to 1999 to include a stone bell tower and the front façade. The architect was Anderson Mason Dale and the contractor was Taylor Bell, LLC.
County Justice Center – Castle Rock
Location: 4000 Justice Way / Castleton Court
Built: 1997 – 1998
Style: Modern
Architect: HOK ( Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum )
Contractor: PCL Construction Service and Swinerton Builders Incorporated
Description: The building faces northwest and is a three story bluff-orange colored brick, glass and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds on the north side of the center of Castle Rock. The northwest front has a central glass tower rising to a curved roof. A long canopy extends from the building. The roof line is flat. The building is named as the Robert A Christenson Justice Center. The building houses the District Court and County Court of the 18th Judicial District. The building was expanded in 2003 to 2006. The architect was HOK (Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum) and the contractor was Swinerton Builders Incorporated. A further expansion was started in 2012. The architect was Klipp Architecture and the contractor was Swinerton Builders Incorporated.
Note: In 1861, Douglas County was one of the 17 original counties
See: The 18th Judicial District includes Arapahoe County, Elbert County and Lincoln County.
History: The county was created in 1861 and Franktown was selected as the county seat. Franktown moved to a new location in 1864 called California Ranch. The county seat was moved to Castle Rock in 1874 as Franktown was then part of Elbert County. The first courthouse was built in 1874. The second courthouse was designed by WR Parsons & Son and constructed by J M Anderson in 1889. The building was destroyed by fire on March 11, 1978. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1979 to 1981. The County Justice Center was constructed in 1997 to 1998.
County Courthouse – Castle Rock
Picture 1889 County Courthouse
County Justice Center – Castle Rock
Castle Rock
Photos taken 2011 and 2016