78 Years Ago
The January 1, 1948 Colorado Transcript announced that the deed to City Park would be given to Jefferson County at the January 2nd Council meeting.
City Park appeared on the earliest maps of Golden. William Loveland donated the four square blocks to the City with the stipulation that it always be used as a park.
Early Golden tended to operate on a shoestring and did very little maintenance to the park. They did install a tap in 1884, so it was possible to grow and water trees. Thereafter, citizen groups often planted trees in the park on Arbor Day. Over time it became quite pleasant and shady.
By the early 1950s, the County needed a new courthouse. The population of the Jefferson County was growing rapidly, and they needed increased capacity for records, courtrooms, and county offices. They also wanted more parking space. Rather than losing the County Seat to some other municipality, the citizens of Golden voted (511 to 102) to give the park to the County, so they could build a new courthouse there.
The January 8th Transcript reported that the planned property transfer had not occurred. Although Council had passed a unanimous resolution to hand over the deed several weeks earlier, several of the Councilors had a last-minute change of heart.
At the meeting, Council asked the County Commissioners for the old courthouse and jail in exchange for the park. The Commissioners could make no such commitment on the fly, so the deal was left unconsummated. New City Councilors took their seats later that month and the new group voted (again) to turn over the deed to the County. In April of 1948, they did so.
The matter didn't end there. There was a restriction on the deed saying that the County was required to build a new courthouse on the land. The School of Mines badly wanted some of that property to expand the campus, but the deed restriction didn't allow the county to sell the land to the school.
So the issue came back to the voters of Golden in 1950. At that time, they voted (441 to 15) to sell the property to the County for $27,500. The county, in turn sold half of the land to the School of Mines for $27,000.
The new Jefferson County Courthouse opened in 1953. It, in turn, was replaced by the current courthouse in 1993. The School of Mines acquired the rest of the land at that time.
The Google Satellite image above hasn't kept pace with construction by the School of Mines. The surface parking lots are currently being replaced by buildings.
