Martin County is named for John W Martin, who was the Governor of Florida from 1925 to 1929.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – St. Lucie County
Created: May 30, 1925 
County Seat:
Stuart 1925 – present
County Courthouse – Stuart
Location: 100 East Ocean Boulevard / SE Detroit Avenue
Built: 1987 – 1988
Style: Modern
Architect: POR Architects Inc.
Contractor: Frank J Rooney Inc.
Description: The buildings faces north and are four story concrete and glass structures. There is an east wing with large glass windows and a southwest wing. The buildings are located on landscaped grounds of the Peter L Cheney Courts Complex in the center of Stuart. Both buildings are joined by a covered porch supported by columns. The four story southwest building has twelve County Circuit Court courtrooms. The complex houses the Circuit Court of the 19th Judicial Circuit and County Court. The building on the east side houses the county offices. The building was reconstructed in 1996. The architect was CH2M Hill and the contractor was Kelsey Construction Inc.
Old County Courthouse – Stuart
Location: 80 East Ocean Boulevard / SE Detroit Avenue
Built: 1908 / 1937
Style: Art Deco
Architect: Unknown / L Phillip Clarke of West Palm Beach ( 1937 )
Contractor: Unknown / Chalker & Lund ( 1937 )
Description: The building faces north and is a two story poured concrete structure. The building was completed in 1908 using hand made bricks by Frank Fraizer and was rebuilt in 1937 as a northern addition. The 1908 section was later dismantled. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds of the Peter L Cheney Courts Complex in the center of Stuart on the west side of the courthouse. The building was originally a public school and was occupied as the courthouse in 1925. The building was rebuilt in 1937. The building has terrazzo floors with the front entrance having an inlay of tan terrazzo in the shape of a pointed star. The halls have six-inch high brown colored marble baseboards. At the west rear, there is a wide brown colored marble staircase ascending to the second story where the former courtroom was located. The architect was L Phillip Clarke of West Palm Beach and the contractor was Chalker & Lund. The first addition was the western addition designed by Donald E Armstrong and constructed in 1950. The eastern addition was constructed in 1960. The building was converted into a museum in 1990. The architects were Peter Jefferson. Dmiter Stoyanoff and David Wojciesak and the contractor was Mosley & Son Construction Inc..
Note: The 1937 rebuilding was a Works Progress Administration project and W R Vincent of Jensen Beach did the stucco and plaster, Fred Michael od West Palm Beach did the painting, Hal’s Electric of Stuart did the electric work, Woods Lumber Company of Gomez supplied the lumber, Anderson Roofing Company did the roof, W D Burns Plumbing did the plumbing and French Mirror and Glass, Rice Marble and Tile Company and Palm Beach Woodworking all of West Palm Beach supplied material.
Note: In 1954 the county bought a building to the west that had been used as an automobile dealership by Web Ordway Ford and later as an A & P grocery store and converted it into a courthouse annex. At the same time the county extended the original courthouse and the 1937 addition west to abut the annex and joined their hallways. The county also extended the 1937 addition and the old school house on the east side. Both of these 1954 additions were bland, utilitarian structures of no particular architectural merit. Later when the county outgrew this assemblage of buildings, it decided to build a new courthouse and constitutional officers complex to the southeast of the original courthouse and to tear down the original courthouse, all additions and the annex. The City of Stuart, though, with much public support, prevailed on the county commission to save the 1937 addition and to use it as a cultural center.
See: National Register of HJistoric Places – Martin County Courthouse
See: The 19th Judicial Circuit includes Indian River County, Okeechobee County and St. Lucie County.
See: The county is located in the Fourth Judicial District of the Court of Appeal – Fourth Judicial District located in West Palm Beach.
History: The county was created in 1925 and Stuart was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a public school constructed in in 1908 to 1909. The second Courthouse was rebuilt of the first courthouse in 1937 at a cost of $27,272 and restored in 1988 at a cost of $204,549. . The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1987 to 1988.
County Courthouse – Stuart
County Circuit Court courtroom
Old County Courthouse – Stuart
Photos taken 2009 and 2023