The Old Orange County Courthouse in Santa Ana is a staple landmark in Southern California. The old facade of the building has been seen in famous films like Legally Blonde, Catch Me if You Can, Rain Man, and the television series American Horror Story: Asylum. The courthouse is Southern California’s oldest building, built in 1901 and home to many law-shaping court cases of Orange County. You can find the Old Orange County Courthouse on the National Register of Historic Places and listed as a State of California Historic Landmark.
The 30,000 square foot courthouse is made from granite and sandstone and served as a home to lawmakers of Orange County from 1901 to 1969, when a new and larger facility was built. Architect C.L. Strange brought his mid-western looking design to life. Today, the building has been completely restored to its former turn of the century glory. Restoration began in 1983 and was completed by 1992. In recent years, the county laid a new parking lot behind the building where the old county jail can be seen outlined in concrete.
The building is home to the Orange County History Center, the Old Courthouse Museum, and the Orange County Archives. On the ground floor, the historic Orange County Archives are stored. On the second floor lined with white and blue ceramic tiles are located a marriage license bureau, a chapel, and two hearing rooms. To reach the third floor, guests go up an ornately decorated double grand staircase. The third floor is home to the museum of Orange County history, the Historical Programs Office, and Courtroom No. 1. The history museum displays both temporary and permanent exhibits that relate to local and regional history.
Courtroom No. 1 is beautifully crafted with a wood carved judge’s bench, ornate chandeliers, and towering windows. The courtroom has been the site of notable court cases such as People vs. Termo Corporation (1933) related to royalties from offshore oil drilling, the murderous People of California v. Gollum and Overell (1947) that changed laws on explosives, and Chimel v. California (1965) that set new regulations on searching and arresting people.Admission to the Old Courthouse Museum is free. Metered parking is available in the lot behind the courthouse. Orange County Parks offers tours of the courthouse by appointment and free of charge Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Self-guided tours are also available.