Apart from Mission San Juan Capistrano and the Matterhorn, the Old Orange County Courthouse is undoubtedly the most recognizable landmark in Orange County. As Southern California’s oldest surviving courthouse, its picture is used in a variety of ways. The Old Orange County Courthouse, formerly known as the Santa Ana County Courthouse, is a Romanesque Revival structure that launched in September 1901 and is situated on Civic Center and Broadway streets in Santa Ana’s Historic Downtown District. The Old Orange County Courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is officially designated as California Historical Landmark No. 837.
History
William Spurgeon founded the Santa Ana, California area in 1869 on 74.27 acres (300,600 m2) of property obtained from the historic Spanish land grant, Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. Orange County, California, was founded in 1889 by William Spurgeon and James McFadden, and Santa Ana was designated as the county seat of government due to its greater growth as a municipality than neighboring towns, specifically Orange.
The Old Courthouse housed every county office and the county’s sole Superior Court in 1901, but the county government quickly outgrew its new digs. A different Hall of Records was constructed on the northern edge of the courthouse property in 1923-24. A new jail launched east of the courthouse in 1925. In 1930, the county purchased and converted the St. Anne’s Inn, an unsuccessful tourist hotel west of the courthouse.
Orange County’s current courthouse was finished in December 1968. Thus, the Old Courthouse remained in limbo. Indeed, there was substantial doubt in the 1960s about whether it would be spared at all. After several years of service as county offices and historical exhibitions, the old structure was pronounced seismically dangerous and closed in 1979. In the 1980s, it was converted and repaired and reopened as a county historic site in 1987. Numerous county departments, such as the County Archives and the marriage license office, are also housed within. The original courtroom has been meticulously renovated, and each floor features historical displays. (Source: ochistoryland.com)
Location
More fun things to do in Santa Ana River Trail!
Museum
The courthouse is now a museum and has been featured in numerous films and tv shows. It depicts the exterior of American Horror Story: Asylum’s Briarcliff Manor. The façade and interior of the courthouse were utilized as locations for The File on Thelma Jordan in 1949. (Source: Wikipedia)
TechWaste Recycling Inc. is nearby.
Directions
Old Orange County Courthouse
Get on I-5 S from W Civic Center Dr and E Santa Ana Blvd
5 min (1.2 mi)
Continue on I-5 S. Take CA-55 S/State Rte 55 S to E Edinger Ave. Take exit 9 from CA-55 S/State Rte 55 S
3 min (2.6 mi)
Continue on E Edinger Ave. Drive to E Occidental St – TechWaste Recycling Inc. 3 min (0.6 mi)