Hillsborough County | US Courthouses

Hillsborough County is named for the Hillsborough River and Hillsborough Bay (Tampa Bay) named after the Earl of Hillsborough who was secretary of state for the colonies during the brief British occupation of Florida.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Pasco County

E – Polk County

S – Manatee County

W – Pinellas County

Created: January 25, 1834

County Seat:

Tampa 1834 – present

County Judicial Center – Tampa

Location: 800 East Twiggs Street / North Jefferson Street

Built: 2002 – 2003

Style: Modern

Architect: Ranon & Partners Inc. of Tampa

Contractor: Clark Construction

Description: The building faces southwest and is a seven story buff colored concrete and glass structure. The southwest corner is rounded with recessed entrance. The windows are vertical and narrow and the roof line is flat. The building is names as the George E Edgecomb Building.The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 13th Judicial Circuit and County Court.

County Courthouse – Tampa

Location: 419 North Pierce Street / East Kennedy Boulevard

Built: 1950 – 1952

Style: Modern

Architect: William Osparklin – Reynolds, Smith & Hills Associated Architects and Engineers of Jacksonville

Contractor: Paul Smith Construction Company of Tampa

Description: The building faces west and is a two story white colored concrete structure. The building is located on the east side of the Joe Chilura Courthouse Square. The west front has a high square wall with entrances on the first story. The building occupies the entire block. The building serves as a county office and courthouse annex. The building was renovated in 2008. The architect was Ranon & Partners, Inc. of Tampa and the contractor was J Kokoloski Contracting Inc, of Tarpon Springs. The Courthouse Annex was constructed in 1962 and the North Annex was constructed in 1984.

History: The county was created in 1834 and Tampa was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a log cabin built in 1834 which burned. The second courthouse was built by Captain James McKay in 1847 at a cost of $1,358. The third courthouse was built in 1855 at a cost of $5,000. The fourth courthouse was designed by J A Wood and constructed in 1892. An addition was designed by Miller& Kennard and constructed by Henry Levick in 1905. A further addition was designed by Frederick J James and constructed in 1926. The building was demolished in 1953 and the dome was saved and is located in the Joe Chilura Courthouse Square. The fifth and present courthouse was constructed in 1952 to 1953. The County Justice Center was constructed in 2002 to 2003.

County Administration Building – Tampa

Location: 601 Eat Kennedy Boulevard / North Pierce Street

Built: 1988 – 1990

Style: Modern

Architect: HKS Architects

Contractor: The Beck Group and Datum Engineers Inc.

Description: The building faces north and is a twenty-eight story steel, concrete and glass structure. The building has a curved east and north front with long horizontal windows. The main entrance is located at the northeast and the roof line is flat. The building was constructed as the Two Mack Center and was renamed in 2000 as the Fred B Karl County Center. The county purchased the building in 1993.

See: Located in the county is the Court of Appeal – Second Judicial District -Tampa

Other Branch Courthouses

Brandon Plant City Ruskin