The Placer County Courthouse contributes to the Old Auburn Historic District which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

The Placer County Seat was established in Auburn in 1851 in a a temporary cloth building on this site. In 1853, the temporary building was replaced by a woodframe courthouse. The current courthouse was built between 1894 and 1897 and has been in continuous use since its completion.

This was also the site of an early cemetery and public hanging grounds.

The building was designed by John M. Curtis, a prominent architect who designed many large government buildings in California, including the Sonoma County Courthouse, the Humboldt County Courthouse, Santa Cruz County buildings and jail, and the Mammoth Winery in San Francisco.

When we photographed the building, it housed the Placer County Museum and some departments of the Placer County Superior Court.