The Humboldt County Courthouse, located in the city of Winnemucca, was erected between 1920 and 1921. The Classical Revival building was designed by noted Nevada architect Frederick J. DeLongchamps to replace the original 1874 county courthouse, which had burned. The new courthouse occupies the same site as its predecessor facing Bridge Street, one of the city's first arterials.

Exterior materials are buff-colored brick and cream-colored terra cotta. After the completion of the Washoe County Courthouse in 1910, DeLongchamps rarely used stone again in courthouse architecture, as brick was plentiful and relatively inexpensive. DeLongchamps also used architectural terra cotta extensively, both as detailing and as a building material in his major architectural designs.

Winnemucca, named after the famous Northern Paiute chief, is the largest community in Humboldt Valley: the only mountain-free passage between the Wasatch Range (Utah) and the Sierra Nevada. Situated at a mid-point between Salt Lake City and San Francisco, Winnemucca's fortunes were not tied historically to the boom-and-bust mining cycles. As both a destination and departure point, the community established a stable economic base as a regional supply and shopping center. By 1872, Winnemucca was the county seat.

Source: NRHP Nomination Form