Flathead County - American Courthouses

Flathead County is named for the Flathead Native American tribe that lived in the area.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Alberta, Canada

E – Glacier County, Pondera County, Teton County and Lewis and Clark County

S – Powell County, Missoula County, Lake County and Sanders County

W – Sanders County and Lincoln County

Created: February 6, 1893

County Seat:

Kalispell 1895 – present

Old County Courthouse – Kalispell

Location: 800 South Main Street / 8th Street

Built: 1903 – 1905

Style: Chateauesque

Architect: Charles F Bell and John N Kent

Contractor: Hastie & Dougan

Description: The building faces north and is a three story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Kalispell. The north front has a projecting center section with a square section rising to a square tower with a steep roof with four small turrets. The base of the building on the first story is stone. The roof is sloped. In the interior are wood stairs and floors. The former courtroom is located on the west side of the second story and is now the Commissioner’s Meeting Room. The project was supervised by William Davidson. Materials were supplied by Washington Brick, Lime and Manufacturing Company of Spokane, Washington. On the south side is the Old County Jail and an office building constructed in 1963.

Note: A clocktower was constructed for the courthouse but no clock was ever installed.

County Justice Center – Kalispell

Location: 920 South Main Street / 9th Street West

Built: 1984 – 1985

Style: Modern

Architect: Architects Design Group and Taylor Thon Thompson Peterson AIA

Contractor: Morgen & Oswood Construction Company

Description: The building faces east and is a three story buff colored brick, concrete and glass structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Kalispell with the courthouse to the north The east front has recessed glass door on the first story. The second and third stories have glass panels in the center section. The roof line is flat. In the interior there are four courtrooms with the County District Court courtrooms being located on the third story and the County Justice Court courtroom being located on the second story. The building houses the County District Court of the 11th Judicial District and County Justice Court.

Note: A two story annex is being constructed on the southwest side to house the County Justice Court. A former building was purchased and is being renovated. The architect is Cushing Terrell and the contractor is Martel Construction Inc.

History: The county was created in 1893 and Kalispell was selected as the county seat in 1895. Missoula continued to be the place of the county office until the first and only courthouse was constructed in 1903 to 1905. The County Justice Center was constructed in 1984 to 1985.