| Owyhee County Courthouse | |
| Coordinates: | 43.2169°N -116.5503°W |
| Architect: | Tourtellotte & Hummel |
| Architecture: | Modern Movement, Art deco |
| Added: | November 17, 1982 |
| Area: | less than one acre |
| Mpsub: | Tourtellotte and Hummel Architecture TR |
| Refnum: | 82000357 |
The Owyhee County Courthouse in Murphy, Idaho, is a 1-story Art Deco building designed by Tourtellotte & Hummel and constructed in 1936. The brick building features a prominent entry with fluted pilasters on either side of a square arch, with foliated sunburst panels that frame an entablature of floral, triangular, and wavelet designs. A panel above the entry reads, "Owyhee County Courthouse." The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[1]
Owyhee County was organized in Idaho Territory in 1863, and the county seat was first at Ruby City (1863-1867), then at Silver City (1867-1934), and in 1934 voters moved the county seat to Murphy.[2] The Idaho State Legislature ratified the move in 1999, officially changing the Idaho Code to reflect the relocation from Silver City to Murphy.[3]
In 1936 the county built a new courthouse on what was then a section of State Highway 45, now State Highway 78, at Murphy.[4] A dancehall had been the temporary courthouse, and it burned in 1939.[5]
The Owyhee County Courthouse was renovated and expanded in 1973, with 1-story brick additions at either end of the original structure.[6]
The only parking meter in Owyhee County was installed at the courthouse in the early 1950s.[7] [8]