The Woods County Courthouse anchors Alva's downtown square, a four-storey limestone building completed in 1929 in a restrained Art Deco style. The square around it follows the classic Plains layout — single-storey brick storefronts on all four sides facing the courthouse — and remains the centre of town life.
Several of the surrounding buildings are on the National Register, including the 1905 Branson and I.O.O.F. blocks and the 1927 Hotel Bell on the south side. Wander the perimeter once and you have seen most of what historic Alva has to offer.