Alamosa County Courthouse

Alamosa County took twenty-four years to build a courthouse, but this splendid red brick Southwestern Style government center was worth the wait. Three two-story rectangular structures form a U around a northfacing arcaded courtyard. Gable roofs with curvilinear brick parapets and skirt roofs above some windows are covered in the same red tile. Terracotta Indian head medallions enhance the doorways. The round arches of the arcade are repeated atop windows and doors. Interior ceilings are beamed with heavy timbers and finished with beaded tongue-in-groove paneling in knotty pine, while the walls are softly textured like plastered adobe. Much of the original design survived an extensive interior remodeling and updating (1978–1981, Riley Williamson; Gathers and Associates). These Denver architects also produced the fine modern annex at 402 Edison Street, using similar red brick and roof tiles.