Douglas County is named for Stephen A Douglas, who was a United States Senator from Illinois.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Okanogan County
E – Okanogan County and Grant County
S – Grant County and Kittitas County
W – Chelan County
Created: November 28, 1883
County Seat:
Okanogan City 1884 – 1887
Waterville 1887 – present
County Courthouse – Waterville
Location: 203 South Rainier Street / East Birch Street
Built: 1904 – 1905
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: Newton C Gauntt
Contractor: William Oliver
Description: The building faces west and is a three story stone and red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Waterville. The building has a raised stone basement. The west front has a large stone arch at the central entrance and a stone facing on the first story. Above the entrance are three windows on the second story and an arched window on the third story. Above rises a square red colored brick tower with open top and conical roof. In the interior are wood trim and stairs. The County Superior Court courtroom is located at the center of the east side of the third story. The building houses the County Superior Court. On the south side is a new entrance which connects to the Annex. On the east side is a three story addition constructed in the 1950′s.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Douglas County Courthouse
County Courthouse Annex – Waterville

Location: 203 South Rainier Street / East Birch Street
Built: 2001 – 2002
Style: Modern
Architect: KDF Architecture
Contractor: G G Richardson, Inc.
Description: The building faces west and is a one story rough stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Waterville. There are long vertical; windows and metal canopies over the windows. The building is connected on the north side to the courthouse in the center of Waterville with a glass entrance. The roof line is flat.
County Law & Justice Building – East Wenatchee

Location: 203 South Rainier Street / East Birch Street
Built: 2018 – 2019
Style: Modern
Architect: J M Neal Associates
Contractor: Halme Builders Inc.
Description: The building faces west and is a one story brick, steel and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds to the north of the center of East Wenatchee. The northwest front has a high canopy supported by four thin columns and having a recessed glass wall. The windows have small canopies above. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the County District Court courtroom is located along the east side.
See: The Judicial District includes Chelan County.
History: The county was created in 1883 and Okanogan City was selected as the county seat in 1884. The county held the first meeting in Okanagan’s only structure, Mann’s tent. Later in 1885, B L Martin completed a 24 foot by 36 foot store building which became the first courthouse and the only building in Okanogan City. The county seat was moved to Waterville in 1887. The second courthouse had been built in 1886 ahead of the move. In 1889 the third courthouse, a two story frame structure was built. The courthouse was destroyed by fire. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1904 to 1905. The County Law & Justice Building was constructed in 2018 to 2019 at a cost of $8,000,000.

County Courthouse – Waterville








County Superior Court courtroom





County Courthouse Annex – Waterville






County Law & Justice Building – East Wenatchee





Photos taken 2012 and 2022