"
The Second Empire refers to the reign of Louis Napoleon, the grand-nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, who ruled France from 1852 to 1870. In both France and America, the Second Empire style coincided with a period of prosperity and materialism, and was associated with urbanity and a cosmopolitan society. The style is characterized by its distinctive mansard roof, often containing windows on the steep lower slope. The complex massing and arrangement of towers is unified through decorative cornices similar to those of the Italianate style.
Characteristics:
steeply pitched, mansard roof
roof can be either straight or concave, and is interrupted by dormers
complex massing forms
brick, stucco or wood clapboard
wrought-iron ornament, such as cresting on roof or heavy, ornate fencing
wide eaves, often with modillions
corbelled chimney
heavily molded cornices and window trim" (from (
visit link) )
"Built in 1890, the two-story brick building has a raised basement. The truncated hip roof is topped with a richly detailed, three-tier turret centered over the main entry. " (from (
visit link) )
"In the 1880s, Aspen went from an isolated mining camp on the far side of the Continental Divide to a city of over 10,000 people as a result of the Colorado Silver Boom. Pitkin County, named for then-Governor Frederick Walker Pitkin, was established in 1881. A small courthouse had been established at Cooper and Mill streets, but within ten years a larger one was needed. The county acquired five lots in May 1890 for a new building.
Great controversy surrounded the construction. There were accusations of corruption and favoritism. The county commissioners ignored calls to stop the project and went ahead with a design by Denver architect William Quayle. It was completed and opened early in 1891. The six-foot (2 m) statue of Lady Justice, one of the few in the United States showing her without the usual blindfold, was made of pressed stamped zinc in Salem, Ohio, for a cost of $250 ($7,000 in contemporary dollars).
The statue's painted silvery exterior reflects the silver mining that was the root of Aspen's prosperity at that time. Why the blindfold was omitted is not known for certain. It has been humorously suggested that the commissioners, given the corruption allegations, decided Justice should be able to keep an eye on what was going on around her. Another account has it that the miners, who had previously set up their own informal courts to resolve disputes over claims, were reluctant to cede that authority, even to a legitimate governmental body. They therefore paid for the statue themselves and insisted that she be shown without the blindfold but with scales (weight being an impartial measure of mining success), to emphasize that in Aspen justice could be impartial without artificial restraints.
Ground was broken in July 1890, and the new courthouse was finished and opened in January 1891. It was celebrated as a major civic accomplishment. Newspapers ran long, laudatory articles; many politicians gave speeches at the dedication ceremony, and a fireman's ball was held that night." (from (
visit link) )