The present Humboldt County Courthouse is a classic example of the PWA Moderne. The facades of this three-story box on a raised basement are vertically banded by recessed panels composed of the usual metal windows and recessed spandrels. Iron “Roman” light stands in the form of tripods originally flanked the entrance. The brick used for the exterior wall is gray in color; the trim is in gray Bedford stone. This building replaced an earlier (1893) Italianate courthouse which was torn down when the new building was completed.