Architect Roy Place designed the courthouse in 1928, in a blend of Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival styles. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
It housed the Pima County Superior Court from 1930 to 1977, and then the Pima County Consolidated Justice Court until 2015.
After the courts moved to newer buildings, the county planned to turn it into museum space. The University of Arizona Mineral Museum began moving in during 2020, and the building now holds the Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center.