Pitkin County Courthouse
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The Pitkin County Courthouse is located on East Main Street ( State Highway 82) in
Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species in the Populus sect. Populus, of the ''Populus'' (poplar) genus. Species These species are called aspens: * ''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, south of ''P. tremula'') * ''Populus da ...
, Colorado, United States. It is a large brick building erected in the late 19th century that serves as offices of
Pitkin County Pitkin County is a county in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 17,358. The county seat and largest city is Aspen, Colorado, Aspen. The county is named for Colorado Governor Frederi ...
's courts. A landmark of the city, it was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1975. Like many courthouses, it has a statue of
Lady Justice Lady Justice () is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems. Her attributes are scales, a sword and sometimes a blindfold. She often appears as a pair with Prudentia. Lady Justice originates from the personificat ...
in the front. Unlike many of the other such statues, she is depicted without a blindfold. In the late 20th and 21st centuries, as Aspen became a popular destination for wealthy and famous people, the courthouse has seen several high-profile defendants and litigants, from Ted Bundy to
Charlie Sheen Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He is known as a leading man in film and television. Sheen has received numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award as well as ...
.


Building

The courthouse is located on the north side of the
block Block or blocked may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Block programming, the result of a programming strategy in broadcasting * W242BX, a radio station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, United States known as ''96.3 ...
of East Main between Galena and Hunter streets, closer to the former on the west. Across the street is an open area around St. Mary's Catholic Church. A mix of commercial and residential properties and the
Pitkin County Pitkin County is a county in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 17,358. The county seat and largest city is Aspen, Colorado, Aspen. The county is named for Colorado Governor Frederi ...
Library are to the northwest and a small housing development lies to the east. is to the southeast on South Hunter. Two blocks west is another Aspen landmark, the Hotel Jerome. Aspen City Hall is a block away at South Galena and East Hopkins. The terrain slopes slightly toward the
Roaring Fork River Roaring Fork River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in west central Colorado in the United States. The river drains a populated and economically vital area of the Colorado Western Slope called the Roaring Fork Valley or ...
to the north. The building itself is a two-story brick structure on a stone foundation, raised to expose the basement. It is set back from the street, fronted by a low iron fence, red
cobblestone Cobblestone is a natural building material based on Cobble (geology), cobble-sized stones, and is used for Road surface, pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Sett (paving), Setts, also called ''Belgian blocks'', are often referred to as " ...
sidewalk, and small trees and shrubbery. Two large evergreens flank the courthouse. A large modern extension containing the jail is located to the rear. On the 13- bay south (front) facade, the five-bay projecting entrance
pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings; * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...
, itself with the center three bays projecting, is complemented by two lesser projections on the third and fourth bays from the center. Bricks are laid in
stretcher bond Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and Mortar (masonry), mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called ''Course (architecture), courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall. Bricks ...
. Stone belt courses provide sills and lintels the narrow one-over-one double-hung
sash window A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels, or "sashes". The individual sashes are traditionally paned windows, but can now contain an individual sheet (or sheets, in the case of double glazing) of glass. History ...
s on the first story. Segmental arches of vertical brick, with keystones, spring from the lintels on the flanking projections. The second-story windows are similarly treated but less restrained. All have segmental arches; the central window of the center pavilion, and the windows on the flanking ones, are combined under one larger arch with their transoms divided by the brick. Above them is a wide plain wooden
frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...
topped by a dentilled
cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...
at the roofline. A
pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...
with doubled semicircular window and the same cornice treatment tops the middle three bays. Atop the other projecting sections are small solid wooden
parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...
s with recessed panels alternating with fluting. The shallow hipped roof is pierced by two chimneys in the middle and a tall tower behind the front pavilion. The lowest of the tower's four stages is a plain wooden section, topped with a cornice. The next two are united by a small pair of windows similar to those in the building, above a recessed panel and topped with a
fanlight A fanlight is a form of lunette window (transom window), often semicircular or semi-elliptical in shape, with glazing (window), glazing bars or tracery sets radiating out like an open Hand fan, fan. It is placed over another window or a doorway, ...
and pediment. On the second stage they are flanked by two wooden fluted
pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...
s; on the third by paneling and a spiral
carving Carving is the act of using tools to shape something from a material by scraping away portions of that material. The technique can be applied to any material that is solid enough to hold a form even when pieces have been removed from it, and y ...
. The topmost stage is a peaked shingled roof with imitation miniature shed dormer windows. At the entrance, stone steps rise up to a small, steeply
gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
d entrance projection faced in rough stone blocks. On the top is a silvery
zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...
statue of
Lady Justice Lady Justice () is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems. Her attributes are scales, a sword and sometimes a blindfold. She often appears as a pair with Prudentia. Lady Justice originates from the personificat ...
, without the blindfold common to many other depictions of her. Large wooden paneled double doors topped by an arched fanlight provide entrance.


History


Construction

In the 1880s, Aspen went from an isolated mining camp on the far side of the Continental Divide to a city of over 10,000 people as a result of the Colorado Silver Boom.
Pitkin County Pitkin County is a county in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 17,358. The county seat and largest city is Aspen, Colorado, Aspen. The county is named for Colorado Governor Frederi ...
, named for then-Governor
Frederick Walker Pitkin Frederick Walker Pitkin (August 31, 1837 – December 18, 1886) was an American politician who served as the List of governors of Colorado, second Governor of the state of Colorado from 1879 to 1883. He was a member of the Republican Party (Unit ...
, was established in 1881. A small courthouse had been established at Cooper and Mill streets, but within ten years a larger one was needed. The county acquired five lots in May 1890 for a new building. Great controversy surrounded the construction. There were accusations of corruption and favoritism. The county commissioners ignored calls to stop the project and went ahead with a design by Denver architect William Quayle. It was completed and opened early in 1891. The six-foot (2 m) statue of
Lady Justice Lady Justice () is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems. Her attributes are scales, a sword and sometimes a blindfold. She often appears as a pair with Prudentia. Lady Justice originates from the personificat ...
, one of the few in the United States showing her without the usual blindfold, was made of pressed stamped
zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...
in
Salem, Ohio Salem is a city in Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The population was 11,915 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Salem was founded by Quakers in 1806 and played a key role in the Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist ...
, for a cost of $250 ($ in contemporary dollars). The statue's painted silvery exterior reflects the silver mining that was the root of Aspen's prosperity at that time. Why the blindfold was omitted is not known for certain. It has been humorously suggested that the commissioners, given the corruption allegations, decided Justice should be able to keep an eye on what was going on around her. Another account has it that the miners, who had previously set up their own informal courts to resolve disputes over claims, were reluctant to cede that authority, even to a legitimate governmental body. They therefore paid for the statue themselves and insisted that she be shown without the blindfold but with scales (weight being an impartial measure of mining success), to emphasize that in Aspen justice could be impartial without artificial restraints.Resnik
91–93
Ground was broken in July 1890, and the new courthouse was finished and opened in January 1891. It was celebrated as a major civic accomplishment. Newspapers ran long, laudatory articles; many politicians gave speeches at the dedication ceremony, and a fireman's ball was held that night.


Later years

When Aspen's population declined after 1893 and the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, the courthouse remained functioning as the seat of government. It continued to be used and maintained as the city slipped into its "quiet years", of the early 20th century and its population dropped to less than a thousand. As skiing revived the city following
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, it would play a role in the cultural changes Aspen underwent in the latter half of the century. In 1961 Hunter S. Thompson, considered the founder of
gonzo journalism Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story using a first-person narrative. The word "gonzo" is believed to have been first used in 1970 to descri ...
but then unknown, came to Aspen with $2 and decided to stay, eventually settling in nearby Woody Creek. He later became famous writing articles such as " The Battle of Aspen" for ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' about the hippies and other countercultures of the era drawn to Aspen by its natural setting and their indulgence in sex and
recreational drug use Recreational drug use is the use of one or more psychoactive drugs to induce an altered state of consciousness, either for pleasure or for some other casual purpose or pastime. When a psychoactive drug enters the user's body, it induces an Sub ...
. In 1970 he ran unsuccessfully for county sheriff, catalyzing a growing conflict between the newer and older, more conservative residents. As part of his platform he promised to "install, on the courthouse lawn, a bastinado platform and set of
stocks Stocks are feet and hand restraining devices that were used as a form of corporal punishment and public humiliation. The use of stocks is seen as early as Ancient Greece, where they are described as being in use in Solon's law code. The law de ...
—in order to punish dishonest dope dealers in a proper public fashion." Two events at the courthouse in 1977 gained national attention. The previous year singer Claudine Longet had been arrested and charged with murder after fatally shooting her boyfriend, skier Spider Sabich. She claimed it had been an accident. Her trial at the courthouse in early 1977 garnered international media attention, particularly because of the presence at the trial of celebrities who had begun making Aspen a second home. One,
Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...
, a friend of Longet's, sat prominently behind the defense table in the courtroom every day of the trial. She was ultimately found guilty of a
misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than admi ...
charge of
negligent homicide Negligent homicide is a criminal charge brought against a person who, through criminal negligence, allows another person to die. Other times, an intentional killing may be negotiated down to this lesser charge as a compromised resolution of a mur ...
, and spent three weeks in jail. Many longtime residents, in addition to believing Longet had been punished too lightly, came to consider the attention drawn to Aspen by the trial, and Nicholson's presence in particular, as the beginning of Aspen's conversion from a plain, unpretentious ski town to glamorous Hollywood satellite community. Another 1976 homicide in the area put the courthouse in the national spotlight again later in 1977. On June 7,
serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...
Ted Bundy, already serving a state prison sentence in Utah for kidnapping, was taken to Aspen to be tried for the murder of Caryn Campbell outside Snowmass the previous year. A onetime law student, he had chosen to represent himself, and thus was not shackled or handcuffed. During a recess in the proceedings, he went to the courthouse's
law library A law library is a special library, specialist library used by Legal education, law students, lawyers, judges and their Law clerk, legal assistants, and academics in order to Legal research, research the law or its Legal history, history. Law ...
on the second floor, ostensibly to review a map of the area prosecutors had introduced as evidence against him. As soon as he was alone he jumped out the window, above the ground, and fled into the mountains and wilderness around the city. His attempt to reach
Crested Butte Crested Butte is a prominent mountain summit in the Elk Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The peak is in Gunnison National Forest, northeast by east ( bearing 59°) of the Town of Crested Butte in Gunnison County, C ...
to the south failed, and he was recaptured in Aspen a week later. Thirteen years later, another trial drew national attention. This time Thompson, who had once attempted to make the courthouse his workplace in his bid for sheriff, came to it as a defendant. Prosecutors had searched his Woody Creek home after porn-film director Gail Palmer told them he had grabbed her by the breasts after she refused to join him in a hot-tub party; they found drugs and some explosive devices. Thompson was charged with five felonies. During the months leading to the trial, Thompson's fans and supporters demonstrated outside the courthouse; late in 1990 the charges were dismissed over concerns the evidence against the journalist had been obtained through an unconstitutional search. By 2010 the courthouse had been remodeled and upgraded. It still lacked the capacity to accommodate large crowds. In 2009 actor
Charlie Sheen Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He is known as a leading man in film and television. Sheen has received numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award as well as ...
was charged with several felonies after allegedly holding a knife to the throat of wife Brooke Mueller on Christmas Day in their rented Aspen home. In advance of his appearances at the courthouse in summer of that year, where he eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, the city and county imposed limitations on access to the courthouse and media presence in the courtroom. Judge James Boyd issued a Decorum Order limiting attendance at the hearings to the courtroom's legal capacity of 60. The media was further limited to 20 seats, four of which were reserved for Aspen's local mediaNewspapers the '' Aspen Times'', '' Aspen Daily News'' and radio stations KSPN-FM and KSNO-FM. and the remaining 16 allocated by lottery. He specifically alluded to the building's age to justify those limitations.Boyd, James; , January 19, 2010. "The Pitkin County courthouse is a 19th-century building occupied by many offices including the Pitkin County Combined Courts."


See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Pitkin County, Colorado


Notes


References


External links


Court webpage
at Colorado state courts website. {{National Register of Historic Places County courthouses in Colorado Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado Government buildings completed in 1891 National Register of Historic Places in Aspen, Colorado Buildings and structures in Aspen, Colorado