Durham County is named for the City of Durham which was named after Dr. Bartlett Snipes Durham, who donated the land on which the railroad station was located.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Person County
E – Granville County and Wake County
S – Wake County and Chatham County
W – Orange County
Created: February 28, 1881 
County Seat:
Durham 1881 – present
County Courthouse – Durham
Location: 510 South Dillard Street / Manguim Street
Built: 2011 – 2013
Style: Modern
Architect: O’Brien/Atkins Associates
Contractor: Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
Description: The building faces south and is a nine story buff colored brick, concrete and glass structure. The building is located on the edge of a slope in the center of Durham. The windows are vertical with panels between, The roof line is flat. The building houses the County Superior Court and County District Court of the 14th Judicial District.
Old County Courthouse – Durham
Location: 200 East Main Street / Roxboro Street
Built: 1916 – 1917
Style: Italianate
Architect: Milburn and Heister
Contractor: George A Fuller Company
Description: The building faces north and is a four story Indiana limestone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Durham and is rectangular in shape. The building is located in the center of Durham. The north front has three central arches with solid bronze doors and above are small balconies on the second story. The windows are slightly recessed with vertical pilasters with Corinthian capitals between. A wide cornice runs along the flat roof line. During construction of the building, the supervisor was T Y Milburn.
See: The architect Frank Pierce Milburn of Washington, DC.
History: The county was created in 1881 and Durham was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse in 1881 was Stokes Hall (Durham Opera House) on the northeast corner of Corcoran Street and West Main Street which was built in 1873 and destroyed by fire in 1914. The second courthouse was designed by Bryon A Pugin and constructed by Charles N North in 1885. The third courthouse was constructed in 1916 to 1917. The Judicial Building was constructed in 1978 to 1979. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 2011 to 2013.
County Administration Building – Durham
Location: 201 East Main Street / Roxboro Street
Built: 1978 – 1979
Style: Modern
Architect: Archie Royal Davis and Balfour, Hackney
Contractor: W J Megin Inc.
Description: The building faces south and is a four story concrete and glass structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Durham on the north side of the old courthouse. The first story is recessed with narrow vertical windows. The upper stories have large vertical glass panels with vertical concrete dividers. The top floor is recessed and has small windows. The building was formerly the County Judicial Building.
County Courthouse – Durham
Old County Courthouse – Durham
County Administration Building – Durham
Photos taken 2012
Images 13