It was designed in the Beaux Arts style by Darlington native William Augustus Edwards who designed several other South Carolina courthouses[2] as well as academic buildings at 12 institutions in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

[3] An arcade connects it to the adjoining Abbeville Opera House and Municipal Center, which Edwards also designed.

In 1964, the courthouse was renovated by Lyles, Bissett, Carlisle, and Wolff of Columbia.

The history of the previous courthouses is as follows:[6] Located inside the central hallway is a portrait of John C. Calhoun, twice vice-president and longtime senator from South Carolina.

The courthouse is located on land that once housed the law firm in which Calhoun practiced early in his career.