Latah County is named for the Latah Creek which name comes from the Chinook jargon meaning “tooth” or “teeth”, or for the Nez Perce term for “the place of pine trees and sestle” and an early name was “Lah-Toh”.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Benewah County
E – Shoshone County and Clearwater County
S – Clearwater County and Nez Perce County
W – Whitman County, Washington
Created: May 14, 1888
County Seat:
Moscow 1888 – present
County Courthouse – Moscow
Location: 522 South Adams Street / East 5th Street
Built: 1957 – 1958
Style: Modern
Architect: Dropping, Kelley, Hosford & La Marche
Contractor: Commercial Builders Inc.
Description: The building faces west and is a two story red colored brick, concrete and glass structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Moscow. The main entrance is located in the center and is one story in height. The south wing extends east and the north wing extends north from the central entrance and houses the administration. The windows are vertical and dived by red colored brick sections. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the County District Court courtroom is located on the first story of the south wing towards the east side. The County Justice Court courtroom is located on the west side of the south wing. The building houses the County District Court and County Magistrate Court of the 2nd Judicial District. The architect was Dropping, Kelley, Hosford & La Marche and the contractor was Commercial Builders Inc. The adjoining Law Enforcement Center was built in 1973.
See: The architect Dropping, Kelley, Hosford & La Marche designed the Judicial Building in Minidoka County and the Idaho Supreme Court building.
See: The 2nd Judicial District includes Clearwater County, Idaho County, Lewis County and Nez Perce County.
History: The county was created in 1888 and Moscow was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built in 1889 and razed in 1958. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1957 to 1958 at a cost of $400,000.
County Courthouse – Moscow
County District Court courtroom
Picture 1889 County Courthouse
Photos taken 2006, 2009 and 2022
Images 19*