Montrose, COLO.—The historic courthouse now sports the hardware to match its official Historic Place on the National Register designation.  Community member Phyllis Alleman worked for years to apply for the prestigious designation and finally achieved that goal in 1994 with an official listing.  Mrs. Alleman spent years saving her own funds to purchase a plaque worthy of the courthouse and the historic honor.  

“Preserving our local history is very important to this board,” said Commissioner Roger Rash.  “On behalf of the board, we are all grateful to Mrs. Alleman for taking the time to recognize the old courthouse and giving back to the community by purchasing the plaque to commemorate this honor.”

“That building is beautiful and the guys that built it back then took pride in what they were doing and I’d like to see it preserved,” said Mrs. Alleman. “Please keep it preserved.  It will last forever if it is taken care of.”

The old courthouse is located at 320 South 1st Street and is currently home to the Assessor’s Offices, Clerk and Recorder’s Offices, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and the Treasurer and Public Trustee’s Offices.  The county is in the midst of long-range capital planning and is exploring the possibility of remodeling the old courthouse for consolidation of facilities and historic preservation.  The courthouse has several maintenance needs that have been neglected over the past decade, and repairs are in order.  Deputy County Manager Jon Waschbusch has been working on grant applications to help fund the project.  

 
“This is one project that deserves our full attention,” said Commissioner Caddy.  “I’d love to see the courthouse restored to its former glory and remodeled to be the hub for county business.  Right now, the county is prioritizing major projects to best provide for our core services.”   The plaque provided by Alleman will be installed in the coming weeks by the county’s facilities team in a prominent location at the old courthouse.