The Weld County Courthouse: Inner Beauty Serving Colorado, Boulder, and our fellow Coloradans

Boulder, Greeley and all of Colorado are served by the Greeley Courthouse. This true gem of legal luxury stands in downtown Greeley as a siren to those seeking justice and sometimes for those seeking water. This courthouse is home to perhaps the most important Water Court in Colorado. It is also home to District (felony trials and serious civil cases) and County Courts.

We were lucky enough to be able to tour the building, helped by Water Court Specialist Grace Moreno. Thanks to her gracious and knowledgeable hosting, we explored the architectural masterpiece from top to bottom, from Bench to Bathroom, Podium to Pews, and Windows to more Wonders!

Let’s begin this visual adventure with a clock or two. The original clock system consisted of a master clock, and a series of nine connected clocks all synchronized by pneumatics! Air pressure kept the clocks in line while the judges kept Defendants in line.

Weld County Court House Pneumatic Clock
The pneumatic timekeeping system in the Weld County Court House is an outstanding example of an air-driven clock system, one of only a few that up until about eight years ago was still in use. The master clock which resembles a grandfather clock operates eight other clocks in the building. A pneumatic timekeeping system uses air pressure as the primary source to move its internal components. A bellows-style pump located in the master clock expands, then contracts, every sixty seconds forcing air through metal tubes built
into the interior of the Court House structure that connect the master clock to secondary or slave clocks in the building. Bladders located in each of the secondary clocks then fill with air and move the hands of the clocks forward. Currently the clock is in need of repair so is not operational.

PNEUMATIC MASTER CLOCK
The master or grandfather clock of the Weld County Courthouse is located on the second floor. It
operates eight other clocks in the building through a pneumatic system of tubes, gears, bladders, and pumps.
Pneumatic clocks use air pressure as a source of energy to drive its internal components. The large pendulum
swings back and forth which moves the gears located above the pendulum. The accordion-style pump located to the left of the clock face expands and contracts forcing air through tubes built in to the internal walls of the
courthouse. The hands on the master clock move forward. Bladders within the secondary or slave clocks expand and contract and move those clock hands forward.

The clock in District Courtroom #1, the historic Water Court, is the most famous of the courthouse clocks

The Courthouse was completed in 1917 and paid for in cash for $415,000.00 The attention to detail is astonishing! From floor to ceiling, literally, architect Bowman’s vision was realized in a most spectacular way!                                                       The Judge’s View Of Courtroom #1

One of the jobs of a judge is to keep things moving. At times, to keep things from dragging, the judge must urge the lawyers to speed things up.

                                    Counsel, could you please speed things up and keep it moving?

Part II: World Class Stained Glass Windows!

Lenny Lensworth Frieling

Shared Knowledge Is Power!

Leonard Frieling Pen Of Justice Legal Blogger

• Senior Counsel Emeritus to the Boulder Law firm Dolan + Zimmerman LLP : (720)-610-0951
• Former Judge
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• First Chair and Originator of the Colorado Bar Association’s Cannabis Law Committee, a National first.
• Previous Chair, Boulder Criminal Defense Bar (8 years)
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• LEAP Speaker, multi-published author, University lectures Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, Denver University Law School, Univ. of New Mexico, Las Vegas NM, and many other schools at all levels.
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