Milwaukee County’s first two courthouses were located east of the Milwaukee River in today’s Cathedral Square. The choice of a west side location on North Ninth Street for a third courthouse was a controversial one, but the land was acquired and the cornerstone laid in 1930. The courthouse serves as the western anchor of the Civic Center which reaches down Kilbourn Avenue to City Hall. The winner of the national architectural competition was Albert Randolph Ross, whose $10 million design features huge Corinthian columns. The Milwaukee County Courthouse which was completed in 1931, houses the county and circuit courts, the offices of the County Executive, Board of Supervisors, Register of Deeds, and many other branches of county government.