Constructed by Architect Albert Criz in 1956 in the Mid-Century Modern style, the West Los Angeles Courthouse is a contributor to the SurveyLA identified West Los Angeles Civic Center Historic District. The Civic Center is representative of the Los Angeles’s 1949 Master Plan of Branch Administrative Centers.

Built between 1957-1960, the West L.A. Civic Center includes a branch City Hall, community center, and amphitheater designed by Criz. The regional branch library on the northeast corner of the Civic Center is the first building completed in the historic district and designed by Allison & Rible.

With its emphasis on horizontality, the Courthouse building is an excellent and intact example of the Mid Century Modern style. It features three a central volume with two single-story wings. Leading to the main entry, a set of low steps rises to the large expanses of glass on the primary façade. Spanning the primary façade, concrete grills, and geometric metal brise soleils add decorative features to the austere building.

In the mid-1990s, the Courthouse steps, fountain, and Civic Center courtyard became an important site for the advancement of skateboarding in Los Angeles.