After the usual conflict as to where the courthouse should be located, a single-floor log building measuring 20 by 24 feet was built in Sigourney in 1845. This was replaced in 1857 by a two-story brick courthouse with a high central lantern. In 1909–1910 the 1857 building was in turn supplanted by a sophisticated version of the Beaux-Arts Classical tradition. This third Sigourney courthouse was designed by the architectural firm of Wetherell and Gage of Oskaloosa. The building's principal entrance is located between two projecting pavilions. The doorway itself projects through the rusticated base of the structure; above the doorway is a pair of Ionic columns rising two stories high. A small-scaled central tower supports a lantern whose four sides are dominated by four clock faces. The courthouse is located south of Washington Street, between Main and Jefferson streets.