Renamed in 1978, it was previously known as U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, and is listed under that name in the National Register of Historic Places.

Designed by Supervising Architect of the Treasury James Knox Taylor, the building is Yakima's premier example of Second Renaissance Revival style architecture.

At the same time, interior spaces were renovated and restored, and the building's mechanical systems were upgraded to current standards.

[2] In 1978, Congress passed a resolution to rename the building to honor Justice William O. Douglas, who served on the Supreme Court from 1939, when he was nominated by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, until his retirement in 1975.

The symmetrical facade faces west onto South Third Street and first story is clad with deeply incised rusticated New Hampshire granite.

The street level is dominated by a series of regularly spaced round-arch openings containing both double-hung sash windows and entry doors, all of which feature fanlights.

Recessed entrances are located at each end of the projecting pavilion, and the entry stairs are flanked by tall, cast-bronze pedestal lamps topped with spherical globes.

The colonnade supports an unadorned architrave and frieze that are surmounted by a molded cornice with prominent modillion blocks.

The wings, added in 1940, extend to the east on both the north and south elevations and employ similar materials and design tenets.

Bronze postal lock boxes featuring Greek key patterns also allude to the space's prior use.

The baseboard and wainscot are grey Vermont Light Cloud Rutland marble, while remaining wall surfaces are covered in plaster.