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Overview

This first Richardsonian Romanesque Snohomish County Courthouse lasted only twelve years before it became consumed in a fire in 1909.

Building History

Seattle architect August F. Heide (1862-1943) designed this first courthouse in a variation of the Richardsonian Romanesque Style; a later design by Siebrand and Heide was done in the Mission Revival Style, then popular on the West Coast. Heide was working in California during the 1895-1899 period, and would have gained an appreciation for the Mission Revival Style there; three of the arches of the previous courthouse were reused in the second building.

Demolition

This first Snohomish County Courthouse burned on 08/02/1909; the fire, started in the nearby J. K. Healy Blacksmith Shop, and destroyed twelve buildings (and damaged three) in Downtown Everett, WA. Fortunately, courthouse workers managed to transport all critical county documents to a fireproof safe in the basement.