The Gilpin County Justice Center is
located in a rural area of the county and adjacent to a
residential area. For this reason it was desirable
to reduce the scale of the building and to use exterior
materials that were compatible with the residential nature
of the neighborhood. Roof forms and the building
massing were designed to lessen the building's visual
impact and de-emphasize the institutional nature of the
building.
The Gilpin County Justice
Center houses the criminal courts, a jail, the sheriff's
department and the department of health and human
services. The 51,000 square foot facility is located
on a gently sloping, wooded site allowing for a
split-level plan. The main public entry occurs at
the lower level and the Sheriff's Department and jail
entry occur at the upper level, taking advantage of the
sloping site to separate these functions.
