The Courthouse is an important element in this juxtaposition as it is the embodiment of local government on the Capitol Mall. The early design drafts for the building show a neoclassical structure similar in detail to the adjacent Statehouse. But the final design was rendered in the Art Deco style. The Art Deco style emerged out of the 1925 Paris Expo as a determined and purposeful rejection of earlier styles. The style is characterized by a geometric, angular, hard edge, suggesting machine precision, and has an emphasis on the vertical, a visual characteristic often enhanced in larger buildings by stepped setbacks on upper stories.
Decorative elements are spare and stylized.
The focus of the style was on modernity and the future, in direct opposition to the classical and period revival styles of the past. The WPA, a Depression-era, New Deal program established in 1934, was designed to help localities by infusing funds for new construction projects which created new jobs. The buildings built through the WPA program were regarded as superior structures, carefully supervised and well designed with quality materials. This reflected the public's need for confidence in their government and an optimism for the future. The history of the WPA and its programs are interwoven with the architectural design of the Ada County Courthouse.