Bent County Courthouse and Jail
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Bent County Courthouse and Jail
| nrhp_type =
| image = Bent County, CO, Courthouse IMG 5719.JPG
| caption =
| location = 725 Carson Ave., Las Animas, Colorado
| coordinates = {{coord|38|3|51|N|103|13|12|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Colorado#USA
| built = 1887
| builder = Holmberg Bros.; Reilly, M.F. & B. Bradley
| architecture = Victorian Institutional
| added = January 2, 1976
| area = {{convert|3|acre|ha}}
| refnum = 76000546{{NRISref|version=2010a}}
}}
The Bent County Courthouse and Jail, of Bent County, Colorado, at 725 Carson Ave. in Las Animas, was built in 1887. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976; the listing included two contributing buildings.
The courthouse building was built and furnished for a total of $58,429, during 1886–1889. Its architecture is described positively in its NRHP nomination.{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=76000546}} |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Bent County Courthouse and Jail |author1=Langdon E. Morris, Jr. |author2=E. Frances Keck |name-list-style=amp |date=May 20, 1975 |publisher=National Park Service}} and {{NRHP url|id=76000546|title=accompanying 14 photos|photos=y}}{{rp|5}}
The NRHP listing includes also the 1902 Bent County Jail, a {{convert|30|x|40|ft|m|adj=on}} two-story brick building, and a brick garage and another brick extension building.
History
1886 Bent County decided that a court house must be built, and in 1887 James Jones a resident of the county sold his plot of land. The land was sold for a dollar under a condition that the land would be used for the Bent County Courthouse. The Holmberg Brothers architectural firm made the plans for the Bent County Courthouse and on July 4th 1887 construction began. The original courthouse burned down January 10th 1888 and was restored the next year.{{Cite web |last=pls4e |date=2018-07-16 |title=Bent County Courthouse |url=https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/CO-01-BN01 |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=SAH ARCHIPEDIA |language=en}} The new building that stands today is a two story red brick building with an elevated basement. Built in a Victorian style with the addition of Romanesque arches the Courthouse is symmetrical with reassessed bays but is missing its original iron cresting. The Courthouse also features rough sandstone blocks that add a beige trim. The building was furnished with antique oak furniture and opened March 12th 1889. 23 years later Bent County added a jail next to the court house. Similar to the Courthouse the Jail was a two story red brick structure however built in a Classical Revival style.{{Cite web |title=Bent County Courthouse and Jail {{!}} Colorado Encyclopedia |url=https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/bent-county-courthouse-and-jail#:~:text=The%20redbrick%20Bent%20County%20Courthouse,county's%20administrative%20and%20legal%20center. |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=coloradoencyclopedia.org}} By the 1990s the Jail no longer met federal standards and closed in 2000. The Bent County Courthouse is now the longest standing and functional Courthouse in Colorado.{{Cite web |last=pls4e |date=2018-07-16 |title=Bent County Courthouse |url=https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/CO-01-BN01 |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=SAH ARCHIPEDIA |language=en}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Commons category-inline|Bent County Courthouse|the Bent County Courthouse}}
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
Category:Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado
Category:Jails on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado
Category:Government buildings completed in 1887
Category:Buildings and structures in Bent County, Colorado
Category:County courthouses in Colorado
Category:Victorian architecture in Colorado
Category:1887 establishments in Colorado
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Bent County, Colorado
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