It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource.

The building featured a bell in the cupola that served as a fire alarm, called the court into session and announced curfew.

[5] The prominent Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson designed the three-story building in the Beaux Arts style.

The rotunda floor features a 14 feet (4.3 m) mosaic tile reproduction of the county seal, and the ceiling is a stained glass dome.

The bell tower was built at a cost of $350,000 and funded by the estate of Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Mahanay and dedicated on October 16, 1966.