Its oldest portion dates to 1859, built to a design by Gridley J. F. Bryant, and was the county's first purpose-built court facility.

Later additions in 1895 (designed by Maine architect Wilfred E. Mansur) and 1928 added wings that give the building its present shape.

[1] The Aroostook County Courthouse and Jail is a sprawling complex occupying about half of a city block in the center of Houlton, Maine.

The front facade, facing west, has a central entrance pavilion, three bays wide, topped by a gable-on-mansard pediment.

County offices were at first rented in a variety of spaces in Houlton, including the Blackhawk Putnam Tavern, the town's oldest surviving building.