Boulder County Courthouse | |
Location | 1300 Pearl, Boulder, Colorado |
---|---|
Coordinates | 40°1′5.52″N105°16′41.16″W / 40.0182000°N 105.2781000°W |
Built | 1933 |
Architect | Glen H. Huntington [1] |
Architectural style | WPA Moderne |
Part of | Downtown Boulder Historic District (ID80000878) |
NRHP reference No. | 100011355 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | December 13, 2024 |
Designated NHL | December 13, 2024 |
Designated CP | December 3, 1980 |
The Boulder County Courthouse is a historic building on Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado, built in 1933. The courthouse is a contributing property to the Downtown Boulder Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. In 2018, additional information about the building was added to the documentation of the district. [2] The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2024 for its role as the first place in the nation where same-sex marriage licenses were issued.
The original courthouse was built in 1882 by F.E. Edbrooke, but was destroyed by a fire in 1932. The present courthouse was re-built on the same site in the following year. [3] It is a five-story building designed by architect Glen H. Huntington, son of prolific Denver architect Glen Wood Huntington, [1] in WPA Moderne style (a restrained form of Art Deco architecture). It features vertical lines, a tower, and little ornamentation. [4]
The courthouse no longer houses the actual courts for Boulder County, but it remains the seat of county government.
It was one of the first courthouses in the US to issue same-sex marriage licenses in 1975, when Boulder County clerk Clela Rorex issued licenses to 6 same-sex couples. [3]
In 1980, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as one of 125 contributing buildings in the Downtown Boulder Historic District. [4] [5]
In 2018, the historic district's official documentation was updated "to recognize an additional area of significance of Social History for the Boulder County Courthouse, as well as the district generally, for association with the first same-sex marriage licenses issued in Colorado and the civil rights struggles of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) people." [6] [7]
The Downtown Miami Historic District is a U.S. historic district located in the Central Business District of Downtown Miami, Florida.
The Pearl Street Mall is a four-block pedestrian mall in Boulder, Colorado, United States. The pedestrian area stretches from 11th Street to 15th Street along Pearl Street and is home to a number of businesses and restaurants as well as the Boulder County Courthouse.
The Sycamore Historic District is a meandering area encompassing 99 acres (400,000 m2) of the land in and around the downtown of the DeKalb County, Illinois county seat, Sycamore. The area includes historic buildings and a number of historical and Victorian homes. Some significant structures are among those located within the Historic District including the DeKalb County Courthouse and the Sycamore Public Library. The district has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since May 2, 1978.
Same-sex marriage has been legally recognized in Colorado since October 7, 2014. Colorado's state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was struck down in state district court on July 9, 2014, and by the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on July 23, 2014. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals had already made similar rulings with respect to such bans in Utah on June 25 and Oklahoma on July 18, which are binding precedents on courts in Colorado. On October 6, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the Tenth Circuit cases, and the Tenth Circuit lifted its stay. On October 7, the Colorado Supreme Court and the Tenth Circuit cleared the way for same-sex marriages to begin in Colorado.
Downtown Charleston Historic District is a national historic district located at Charleston, West Virginia, USA. The district contains contributing structures in the Late Victorian and Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals architectural styles. St. John's Episcopal Church (1884), the Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (1897), and Woodrums' Building (1916) are contributing properties.
The Pittsburgh Central Downtown Historic District is a historic district in the Central Business District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is composed of multiple late eighteenth-century buildings which illustrate "Pittsburgh's emergence during that period as a preeminent industrial and business center," according to Hyman Myers, the former chair of the Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Board.
The Downtown Athens Historic District is a historic area in the Downtown Athens neighborhood of Athens, Georgia. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Its boundaries were revised twice, in 1984 and 2006, and additional documentation was filed in 2006.
Boulder Crescent Place Historic District is a historic area in Colorado Springs, Colorado along West Boulder and Cascade Avenue near the intersection of the two streets. It is a National Register of Historic Places listing and is on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties.
Fincastle Historic District is a national historic district located at Fincastle, Botetourt County, Virginia. It encompasses nine contributing buildings in the central business district of Fincastle. The district resources portray an excellent example of a typical small 19th century town. The buildings include examples of Late Victorian, Greek Revival, and Gothic Revival styles. Notable buildings include the Botetourt County Courthouse and jail, Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church, St. Mark's Episcopal Church (1837), the Peck House, Selander House, Ammen House, and Kyle House (1832).
Downtown Asheville Historic District is a national historic district located at Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina. The district encompasses about 279 contributing buildings and one contributing object in the central business district of Asheville. It includes commercial, institutional, and residential buildings in a variety of popular architectural styles including Colonial Revival, Queen Anne, and Art Deco.
Downtown Durham Historic District is a national historic district located at Durham, Durham County, North Carolina. The district encompasses 97 contributing buildings and 1 contributing structure in the central business district of Durham. The buildings primarily date from the first four decades of the 20th century and include notable examples of Colonial Revival, Italianate, and Art Deco architecture. Notable buildings include the St. Philip's Episcopal Church (1907), Durham Arts Council Building (1906), First Presbyterian Church (1916), Trinity United Methodist Church (1880-1881), First Baptist Church (1926-1927), Durham County Courthouse (1916), Carolina Theatre of Durham, (1920s), Tempest Building, National Guard Armory (1934-1937), United States Post Office (1934), Trust Building (1904), First National Bank Building (1913-1915), Mechanics and Farmers Bank (1921), Johnson Motor Company showroom (1927), Hill Building (1935), Snow Building (1933), and S. H. Kress store.
Salisbury Historic District is a national historic district located at Salisbury, Rowan County, North Carolina. The district encompasses 348 contributing buildings and 1 contributing site in the central business district and surrounding residential sections of Salisbury. It includes notable examples of Late Victorian, Colonial Revival, and Bungalow / American Craftsman style architecture. Located in the district are the separately listed Maxwell Chambers House, McNeely-Strachan House, Archibald Henderson Law Office, and the former Rowan County Courthouse. Other notable buildings include the tower of the former First Presbyterian Church (1891-1893), Rowan County Courthouse (1914), Conrad Brem House, Kluttz's Drug Store, Bell Building, Washington Building, Grubb-Wallace Building, Hedrick Block, Empire Hotel, St. Luke's Episcopal Church (1827-1828), Soldiers Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church (1910-1913), U.S. Post Office and Courthouse (1909), City Hall (1926), Salisbury Fire House and City Building (1897).
Clela Ann Rorex was an American county clerk who issued the first same-sex marriage license in the United States. Serving as the Boulder County Clerk, Rorex issued a marriage license to a gay couple in 1975 after receiving approval from the District Attorney. In December 2024, it was reported that the building that conducted the first marriage license to a same-sex couple by Rorex became officially a national monument.
The Logan County Courthouse in Sterling, Colorado was built in 1910. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
The Capilla de San Isidro, in Costilla County, Colorado, near Los Fuertes, was built around 1894. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
Hillary Hall is an American politician. She was the Boulder County, Colorado, clerk and recorder from 2006 to 2018. She issued hundreds of marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2014 before the Colorado Supreme Court ordered her to stop.
The Earl School, near Earl, Colorado in Las Animas County, Colorado, was built in 1909. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. It is a rare example of a surviving building associated with rural black Americans in Colorado.
The Downtown Boulder Historic District, in Boulder, Colorado, is a 48 acres (19 ha) historic district which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Additional significance for the district was recognized in 2018 for association of the Boulder County Courthouse with events of 1975, when Boulder County clerk Clela Rorex issued marriage licenses to six same-sex couples.
The Officer Eric H. Talley Post Office Building, also known as the Boulder Post Office or Boulder Main Post Office, at 1905 Fifteenth St. in Boulder, Colorado, was built in 1910. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as US Post Office—Boulder Main in 1986. On August 4, 2022, following the 2021 Boulder shooting, the building was dedicated in honor of police officer Eric Talley, who was killed while responding to the shooting. Local Congressman Joe Neguse introduced the legislation to rename the post office in the months following the shooting, which was signed into law in March of 2022.