Planning for the building began in 1910, when the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill authorizing the purchase of a site for a new post office in Tucson.

Delays continued because by this time Congress had instituted a moratorium on construction due to negative publicity surrounding the awarding of building contracts.

In the interim, the federal government leased out the land and a gas station and other businesses occupied the parcel.

[1] In 1985, the United States Congress passed a bill renaming the building in honor of James Augustine Walsh,[3] who served as a federal district judge from 1952 to 1981.

In 2002, a remodeling project was begun in order to accommodate the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, which would be the new long-term tenant of the building.

The neoclassical style is characterized by symmetry of plan, frontal arrangement, monumental proportions, and flat, smooth or polished stone surfaces.

The Treasury Department favored neoclassicism as the appropriate architectural style for most of the federal buildings constructed during this time period.

There are two large entry doors for the building, one at either end of this bay and each featuring a classical surround with a flat pediment.

The other elevations are relatively unembellished, although the east front gained some significance when the main entry door was moved to this side in the recent remodeling project.

The recent renovation project restored the main lobby to its original open configuration and preserved many of its original elements and finishes, including the terracotta tiled, basketweave patterned floor, the plaster walls, the marble wainscots and floor borders, and the ceilings with molded plaster crowns.