May 14, 2025
Celebrate the Boulder County Courthouse National Historic Landmark designation May 30
Boulder County, Colo. -- To kick off the start of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, the Boulder County Commissioners will host a celebration of the historic Boulder County Courthouse and its designation as a National Historic Landmark. The status was granted in December in recognition of the significance of the building as the site of the first intentional same-sex marriage in the United States.
The public is invited to attend the official unveiling of the National Historic Landmark plaque, and enjoy music, refreshments and speakers in honor of this historic and important recognition of the rights and freedoms fought for and won by people like former Boulder County Clerk Clela Rorex.
The courthouse became a beacon of equality and justice in 1975 when Rorex issued the first same-sex marriage license in the nation. With no legal barriers identified, she courageously issued the license, stating years later, “After having been so deeply involved in the women’s rights movements, who was I to then deny a right to anyone else? It wasn’t my job to legislate morality.”
Boulder County boasts a diverse and thriving LGBTQ+ community, whose contributions enrich the cultural fabric of the area. Honoring the courthouse with National Historic Landmark status celebrates this legacy and reaffirms the nation's commitment to justice, equality, and inclusion.
WHAT: Boulder County Courthouse National Historic Landmark designation celebration
WHEN: Friday, May 30, 2025, 10 – 11 a.m.
WHERE: Mall entrance to historic Boulder County Courthouse,1325 Pearl Street, Boulder (Please note this is a standing-only event).
HOW: Event is free and open to all –please bring your positivity and love!
Join us for the raising of the Pride Flag on Pearl Street
This commemoration coincides with the Rainbows Over Boulder County ceremonial flag raising with Rocky Mountain Equality that marks the beginning of Pride Month in Boulder. Together, these events celebrate our past and reaffirm our shared commitment to equality for future generations.
About Boulder County Courthouse
The Boulder County Courthouse is a historic building on Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado, built in 1933. The courthouse is a contributing property to the Downtown Boulder Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The original courthouse built in 1882 by Brown Palace Hotel architect F.E. Edbrooke, was destroyed by a fire in 1932. The present courthouse, which was re-built on the same site in the following year, is a five-story building designed by Glen H. Huntington, son of prolific Denver architect Glen Wood Huntington, in Works Progress Administration Moderne style (a restrained form of Art Deco architecture). It features vertical lines, a tower, and little ornamentation.
The courthouse no longer houses the actual courts for Boulder County, but it remains the seat of county government.
