Santa Clara County is named for the Spanish for Saint Clare, for the Santa Clara Valley and for the town of Santa Clara.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Alameda County
E – Stanislau County and Merced County
W – Santa Cruz County and San Mateo County
Created: February 18, 1850 
County Seat:
San Jose 1850 – present
Old County Courthouse – San Jose
Location: 161 North 1st Street / West St. James Street
Built: 1866 – 1868
Style: Renaissance Revival / Beaux Arts
Architect: Levi I Goodrich
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces east and is a three story pink colored brick structure. The east front has wide steps and six large white colored columns rising to a header at the top of the second story. The third story is recessed. Above the entrance and windows are decorative pediments. Vertical pilasters are at the corners. The roof line is flat. The building was renovated in 1931 after a fire and the third story was added and the dome removed. The architect was William Binder and Ernest Curtis.
County Courthouse – San Jose
Location: 191 North 1st Street / West St. James Street
Built: 1962 – 1964
Style: Modern
Architect: Ernest J Krump Associates
Contractor: Carl N Swenson Company Inc.
Description: The building faces east and is a five story brown and buff colored brick and concrete structure. The east front has a projecting center section with three large rectangular openings on the first story. The windows are vertical. The roof line is flat. On the east side is a plaza and landscaped grounds.
Note: The building replaced the old Hall of Records constructed in 1892 to 1893. The building was demolished in 1966.
County Hall of Justice – San Jose
Location: 190 W Hedding Street / San Pedro Street
Built: 1988 – 1991
Style: Modern
Architect: UHoover Associates of Palo Alto and Helmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, Inc.
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces north and is a six story concrete and glass structure.
County Family Justice Center – San Jose
Location: 201 North 1st Street / West St. James Street
Built: 2013 – 2015
Style: Modern
Architect: Zimmer Gunsul Frasca
Contractor: Phelps Construction
Description: The building faces east and is an eight story concrete and glass structure. The building is named as the Santa Clara Family Justice Center.
Other Branch Courthouses
Morgan Hill / Palo Alto / Santa Clara / Sunnyvale
Old County Courthouse – San Jose
County Courthouse – San Jose
County Hall of Justice – San Jose
Photos taken 2015