The first courthouse in Duval County was built in the 1840s at the corner of Forsyth and Market streets and was burned to the ground during the Civil War. It was replaced in 1886 by a brick structure that was razed in the Great Fire of 1901. The next year, a stone structure was erected on the site and in 1914 an annex was added behind the building.
The County Courthouse on Bay Street was dedicated in 1958 and will be vacated when the new courthouse opens for business in 2012.