National and State Register
Chaffee County Courthouse & Jail (Buena Vista Heritage Museum)
Chaffee County
Constructed in 1882, the buildings reflect the Italianate style. Both have walls of red brick, and the roofs are hipped. The two-story courthouse is accented with stone quoins and a tall sexagonal cupola. A one-story addition extends from the rear.
The less elaborately detailed two-story jail also has a one-story extension. Salida replaced Buena Vista as the county seat in 1928. Subsequently, the facility was used until 1967 to relieve overcrowding in the local public schools. It was sold to the town in 1975 and reopened as a museum and community meeting place.
National Register
Address
501 E. Main St., Buena Vista
Site Number
5CF.140