Two large double doors were located at the north and south ends and long rectangular windows with dark shutters lined the sides.

A large spire stood eighty-seven feet tall with a cupola capped by a weathervane shaped like a fish.

The city of Cambridge contracted Joseph W. Yost to design and build the new courthouse.

This petition failed and the foundation to the second courthouse was laid in 1881, with the cornerstone bearing the date August 4, 1881.

A central tower rises from the center of the building and houses a four faced clock and consists of louvered arch openings.