Downtown in Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Colorado Springs Post Office and Federal Courthouse
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 17, 2024
1. Colorado Springs Post Office and Federal Courthouse Marker
This property has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Law Enforcement • Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), and the Postal Mail and Philately series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.
Location. 38° 50.017′ N, 104° 49.283′ W. Marker is in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County. It is in Downtown. It is on East Pikes Peak Avenue just east of South Nevada Avenue, on the right when traveling east. The marker is mounted at eye-level, directly on the subject building, on the right/west side of the northwest corner entrance, facing East Pikes Peak Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 201 East Pikes Peak Avenue, Colorado Springs CO 80903, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Colorado’s Front Range and in Pikes Peak Region. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America,
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Spencer Penrose (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hank (about 700 feet away); On This Spot (about 700 feet away); City of Fountain Colony Founded (approx. 0.2 miles away); The First Stake of the Fountain Colony (approx. 0.2 miles away); Dominico (Nick) T. Venetucci (approx. 0.2 miles away); William Seymour 1843-1920 (approx. Ό mile away); Katherine Lee Bates (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Colorado Springs.
Regarding Colorado Springs Post Office and Federal Courthouse. National Register of Historic Places #86000170, also Colorado State Register of Historic Properties No. 5EP.528.
From the National Register Nomination prepared by Paul R. Secord, Vice President/H. James Kolva, Beland Associates. Inc., 08/1985:
The two-story rectangular structure is rigidly symmetrical. The front elevation has two main entrances flanking five arched windows.There is a balustrade at the top of the cornice surrounding the flat roof. The site was offered to the United States Government at a reduced price by W.S. Stratton, the Gold Camp's first millionaire and local philanthropist. Stratton had previously offered the government first-floor space in his Independence Building and had paid for all interior fixtures and equipment for the post office. Said space was utilized from 1898 through completion and occupancy of the present building in March of 1910.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 17, 20242. Colorado Springs Post Office and Federal Courthouse MarkerThe marker is mounted on the right/west side of the northwest corner entrance.The gold boom resulted in a tripling of population between 1890 and 1895. By 1900 the population reached almost 24,000, then increased to 33,411 in 1910. This boom also resulted in a period of significant construction and development which was stimulated even more so by the replacement of a seven block area of the city's central business district that was destroyed by fire in 1898. The combination of the two events resulted in a downtown area in which most prominent buildings were designed and constructed between 1900 and 1910. The County Courthouse (1901-02), City Hall (1904), Carnegie Library (1905) and the Post Office, the major public buildings of the city, reflected the city's new found status in the monumental Renaissance and Neo-classical forms. These buildings are associated with the city's formative growth years, which were stimulated and fueled by the discovery and production of Cripple Creek gold. The historical significance of the Post Office stems from Colorado Springs rapid growth to a major city, the lobbying efforts by local boosters for recognition by the federal government, and finally a federal building to signify the city's development.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 17, 2024
3. Colorado Springs Post Office and Federal Courthouse
(northwest elevation)
(northwest elevation)
The marker is obscured by the trees on the far left (north facade).
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 17, 2024
4. Colorado Springs Post Office and Federal Courthouse
(west/front elevation)
(west/front elevation)
From the National Register Nomination: The building is an example of the eclectic Renaissance Revival and Beaux-Arts Classicism which was the characteristic idiom of government construction in the early years of this century. Though the applied ornament is derived from diverse sources, the primary source for both the ornament and the plan appears to be French Neo-classical and Renaissance Revival design. The facade is articulated by two segments of the wall which project forward roughly eight inches, and by the composite-order pilasters which carry an ionic frieze and projecting cornice. The keystones of the first floor arches form S-shaped brackets, and visually support the belt course which expresses the second floor line. The facade is topped by a balustrade above the cornice. The symmetry of the facade is relieved by the placement of the front entrance to the north of the building's center line.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 17, 2024
5. Colorado Springs Post Office and Federal Courthouse
(southwest elevation)
(southwest elevation)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 409 times since then and 73 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 27, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
