King County Courthouse

History

In 1911, King County voters first turned down, then approved plans to build a new structure for county government. The site settled on had once been owned by Seattle founder Henry Yesler.

Seattle-based architect A. Warren Gould proposed a twenty-three story tower to handle anticipated growth in county functions, but the county commissioners preferred a more modest beginning so it was constructed in stages. Starting in 1914, a five-story steel frame and reinforced concrete structure was built, and dedicated May 4, 1916 as the City-County Building. In 1930, six floors were added by architects Henry Bittman and John L. McCauley, and later a three-story "attic".

The city government moved their offices from the County–City Building in 1962; the building was renamed the King County Courthouse in August of that year. Modernization efforts in 1967 added air conditioning and heavily modified the appearance of the building. In 1987, the King County Courthouse was registered as a King County landmark, which limits the style of future remodeling of public areas to restoring the original appearance.

After the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, the courthouse was seismically retrofitted. The extensive damage done to older buildings in the area by the 6.8 quake pushed the county to move forward with this project. Upon completion, murals and a treatment of the marble floor on the first floor of the Courthouse were noted decorative touches.

The area around the courthouse is proximate to major homeless service agencies and had seen a rise in crimes committed against jurors and courthouse workers. In December 2019, the King County Superior Court announced that the courthouse entrance facing 3rd Avenue would be closed for security reasons to most people, with limited access for individuals needing accommodation.

References

References

1. (2017-01-03). "King County Courthouse - King County".
2. King County Court House dedication plaque.
3. (March 12, 1929). "Plans for Addition to County-City Building Finally Approved". The Seattle Times.
4. (August 4, 1962). "46 Years Late; Courthouse To Be So Named". The Seattle Times.
5. Clarridge, Christine. (July 11, 2017). "Judges complain it's unsafe, unsanitary outside King County Courthouse in Seattle". The Seattle Times.
6. Fields, Asia. (December 2, 2019). "Judge closes Third Avenue entrance to King County Courthouse, citing security concerns". The Seattle Times.