[2] It was designed by Spence Bonnington & Collins in the Modern style, built at a cost of £3.4 million and was officially opened by Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon on 5 November 1970.

[3][4] The design for the new low-rise building, which made extensive use of red brick, involved two connected hexagons arranged on a north–south axis: there were continuous rows of glazing with brickwork above and below on each of the floors throughout the complex.

[2] The windows in the building had metal curtains which were inspired by those in the Four Seasons Restaurant in New York which rippled from the air released from concealed ventilation ducts.

[9] A large stained glass window, designed by Dan Savage to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the UK miners' strike, was installed above the entrance to the council chamber and unveiled by the general secretary of the Durham Miners' Association, David Hopper, on 5 March 2010.

[12][13][14] In January 2021 The Guardian listed the Civic Centre as one of Britain's Brutalist buildings most at risk of demolition and development.