[1] The courthouse is one of only two buildings in the historic core of Richmond to survive the devastating 1865 fire that marked the evacuation of the Confederate Army during the last days of the Civil War.

Custom House, Post Office and Courthouse, the original portion of the building was completed in 1858 to designs of Ammi B.

[5] The building played a significant role in the American Civil War when the Congress of the new Confederate States of America selected Richmond as its capital.

Then, in 1866, the Grand Jury of the United States District Court met on the third floor and indicted Davis for treason.

[5] Pressure to enlarge the courthouse began in the first decade of the 20th century, when the antitrust policies of President Theodore Roosevelt and associated legislation created an expansion of judicial oversight.

As noted in a letter from Secretary of the Treasury James Guthrie, the use of "wrought iron beams and girders" in federal building construction at that time was "wholly new."

The enlargement called for demolition of the courthouse interiors, the addition of a fourth floor and expansion to Tenth and Eleventh streets.

The courts undertook a master plan for the renovation and preservation of some of the most significant spaces within the original building, hoping to restore the finishes to their 1858 appearance.

The first phase of the work, which took place in 1996–99, included the restoration of a part of the Greek Revival Main Street Lobby and office space on the third floor.