The Henrico County government was located in the city of Richmond from 1752 until 1974, when it moved to the suburbs. The county moved to this site in 1843, and by 1895 the building was outmoded. Not desiring to repeat the cost overruns of Richmond City Hall, the county commissioners specified that the cost was not to exceed $20,000. They accepted the designs of the German-born and -trained architect Ruehrmund, who came to the United States in 1881 and shortly thereafter settled in Richmond. His career was long and profitable. The twin-towered facility is in the popular Richardsonian Romanesque style, with round arches and thick brick walls. The penury of the commissioners led to a rather tame design, lacking the vibrancy of other courthouses of the period.