March began as long ago as 1990 to establish a long-range plan in conjunction with the administrative office of the U.S. courts, the General Services Administration and Tenth Circuit representatives. District and magistrate judges share an area linked by walkways, enabling them to conduct collegial discussions. Enthusiastically supported by Chief Judge John E. Conway, the facility is designed from the ground up to support the judicial process. Every function possible has been made technologically accessible. Putting it all together was a challenge.
Security needs in court today are of prime importance in the design.
The builder was Centex Construction Co., Inc., a firm experienced in the complexities of building advanced security systems into courthouses. Effective partnering was a key part of the project. This tall order was managed by a team comprised of the county, the architects, judges, district attorney, public defender, sheriff's department and, surprisingly, the press. Seven floors rise from the high-traffic first floor through the more restricted civil and criminal courtrooms and judges' chambers on the top four floors. Buildings like this are very important, visible and expensive, and serve functions not always well understood by the public.