On May 13, 1896, the Board of Supervisors entered into its minutes the following abstract: "John Haggerty to erect and construct the said courthouse according to said plans and specifications in granite stone of terracotta trimmings and the sum of $26,000 is the lowest responsible  bid." 

​

The courthouse was financed by the sale of bonds. The architect was W.H. Wilcox. It is a two story building with a basement. The frame is brick and stone; the floors are concrete and wood. The exterior walls are brick covered with face brick and granite, and the roof is gabled. The width of the building is 92 feet and the length is approximately 105 feet. An addition was made to the original courthouse building in 1914. There have been no changes since that date.

The county was born with a population of 5,900 and presently has a population of approximately 70,000 which, of course, has resulted in the expansion of county offices into buildings other than the original courthouse.

​

Many famous trials have been held in this courtroom throughout the years, such as the Lee Camp windmill murder case, the Talent will contest, the Kinder murder trial, the Stephens murder trial, the Alves murder trial, and the Booker T. Hillary murder trial.

​

Many years ago, the courthouse was the scene of the murder of Justice of the Peace Meadows by William Denney, who was killed a few minutes later outside of the courthouse by then City Marshal William Himes, who later became sheriff.

The courthouse is also famous for being the site of extensive water litigation.

​

History also tells us that attorney Earl Rogers, of Los Angeles, and his assistant, Gerald Geissler (later to become more famous than his employer) were trying a will contest (The Talent Case) in the courtroom, and that Clarence Darrow sat there for several days listening to Rogers to determine whether he should hire Rogers to represent him in a personal matter.

Two years after the courthouse was constructed, the Kings County Jail was built 1898 with an addition to the jail in 1913. 

​

In 1914, the residents of Kings County were given the option of either adding a dome to the existing structure, or expanding the north side of the courthouse.  The expansion won out.  

​

In December of 1976, the results of a study of the feasibility of remodeling the courthouse for county use were presented. The recommendation was that it would be less costly to replace the courthouse than to remodel  it  $1.2 million to remodel versus $965,000 to rebuild a 21,809 square foot building. When the subject of demolition came up for an April 12, 1977 environmental impact review hearing, more than 250 local residents packed the city council meeting to demand an explanation for the demolition of one of the county's most historic edifices. It was decided to study the option of keeping the courthouse.

​

A revised plan, presented to the council in July, recommended that the city retain the courthouse and investigate the possibility of an historic designation as a means of making the building usable. The historical designation would enable the building to qualify for the state Historical Building Code, which would reduce the cost of structural renovations. (the 1976 study had shown that there was a need for major structural rehabilitation, including updating of plumbing, mechanical and electrical systems throughout.)

​

Two weeks after the July meeting, the "Citizens To Save the Courthouse Building" announced that the building was being considered for the National Register of Historic Places and would, if selected, be eligible for grants, protection, and less restrictive building codes.

​

"COURTHOUSE WINS CASE" was the Hanford Sentinel headline dated October 18, 1977, when the council voted to retain the courthouse. After long months of deliberation and study, the unanimous vote was greeted by loud applause from a huge audience which had faithfully followed the courthouse issue through numerous council and planning commission meetings. The Council vote included the retention of the Bastille and the Veterans' Building in the master plan.

During the public hearing, which preceded the vote, Hanford attorney Joel Basta, who headed the citizens' committee, presented the council with petitions bearing 3,000 signatures of persons who favored retention of the old building. The designation would enable the building to qualify for the state Historical Building Code, which would reduce the costs of structural renovations.

​

The incentive to push for an historic district received a boost when the courthouse was officially placed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 25, 1978. While work was being done to create the historic district of Hanford, behind-the-scenes negotiations were taking place for a private developer to take over the courthouse structure. As a result, on May 8, 1979, the Hanford City council approved the lease of the building to Max Walden, a noted restoration developer. The lease agreement fulfilled the wish of Hanford residents that their old building would remain standing and commercially viable.

​

The Palm palm trees on the south side of the building are actually older than the courthouse. They were in the front yard of the home where Dr. Davidson had a home there before the courthouse was built. The parking lot on the south east corner was home to the First Presbyterian Church before they built their building next to the Fox Theater in 1912.

After several failed attempts to restore the building, the building fell into rapid decay and was again the subject of much debate as repairs and upgrades became necessary. In 2025, the City of Hanford sold it to a developer who plans to open the upstairs as a brew pub and restaurant and downstairs as boutique shops. Preliminary estimates put the restoration plan at just over 10 million dollars. The restaurant is tentatively planned to open in the spring/summer of 2026.