King County is named for William R King, who was a United States Vice President under Franklin Pierce and In 1986 named for Martin Luther King Jr., who was a civil rights activist.
Created: February 24, 1909
County Seat:
Seattle 1909 – present
County Courthouse – Seattle
Location: 516 3rd Avenue / James Street
Built: 1916 – 1917
Style: Beaux Arts
Architect: A Warren Gould
Contractor: Puget Sound Bridge & Dredging Company
Description: The building faces north and is an eleven story brick, steel and concrete structure. There are west and east wings which are joined by a center section, forming an “H” design. The roof line is flat. In 1930, five stories were added to the existing five stories and the addition was completed in 1931. The architect for the second phase was Henry Bittman and John L McCauley and the contractor was Hans Pederson. In 1967, a large remodeling project was undertaken by the architectural firm of Paul Delaney and Associates.
County Administration – Seattle
Location: SE – 4th Avenue / James Street
Built: 1969 – 1971
Style: Modern
Architect: Harmon Pray Detrich, Architects
Contractor: Sellen Construction Company
Description: The building faces east and is a multi-story concrete and glass structure. The building houses offices of the County Executive , County Council, and County court system.
See: Located in the county is the Washington Court of Appeals – Seattle.
Courthouses:
N – Snohomish County
E – Chelan County and Kittitas County
S – Pierce County
W – Pierce County and Kitsap County
Photos taken 2009 and 2016