Green, Aaron

The original purpose of the Marin County Civic Center was to consolidate the government officials, offices, and other resources of Marin County. In addition, the Civic Center site was meant to serve as a recreation center for the region. Wright planned theaters, exhibition halls, and other public facilities at the civic center in hope that it would become a true suburban center.

Located just off Highway 101, the Marin County Civic Center serves as the government and cultural center of Marin County in northern California.

When Frank Lloyd Wright died on April 9, 1959, plans for the Administration Building, the Hall of Justice, and the Library (which connected the two wings) had been approved as well as preliminary plans for a theater, auditorium, fairground pavilion, and lagoon. Although the construction of other buildings on site had been endorsed before Frank Lloyd Wright died, of the structures that have been built, only three can be attributed to him: the Administration Building and Hall of Justice which are connected by the Wright-designed Library, and the U.S. Post Office. The original master plan for the site was designed by Wright; however, this was not fully realized in the final design of the Civic Center.

Wright's cojoined Administration Building and Hall of Justice are the architectural showpieces on the Marin County Civic Center complex. The 800' long Administration Building and the 580' long Hall of Justice are connected by the Library, a

"The Marin County Civic Center is composed of two buildings, the 580-foot
long Administration Building and the 880-foot long Hall of Justice, which
are set at a slight angle to each other and joined together by a central
rotunda 80 feet in diameter. The rounded ends of the buildings are built
into the sides of two low hills. The main entrance drive passes through an
archway on the ground level of the Administration Building; the Hall of
Justice has two archways, one over the road leading to a back parking lot
and one providing access to the county jail. The separation of access is
primarily for security reasons. The roadways follow the contours of the
site and provide access to parking lots as well as circulation around the
whole site and to the fairgrounds. The U.S. Post Office is located near
the main entrance to the grounds on San Pedro Road." - NAT REGISTER NOMINATION
"The Marin County Civic Center complex is composed of two long wings
set at a 120 degree angle to each other and hinged together by a rotunda
with a shallow dome backed by a 172-foot, triangular tower. The form of
this complex embodies Wright's belief in democratic values that place
human services above the regulatory instruments of government. This belief
is expressed by the visual dominance of the Administration wing, which,
although shorter than the Hall of Justice wing faces the main access road
so that most of the cars pass through its single broad arch on the way to
the main parking lot and other parts of the grounds. Beneath the dome,
which is the pivotal element of the plan, is the county library; the
adjacent tower was originally meant to transmit radio programs. Thus,
the two branches of government meet at the place of dissemination of
knowledge and information. Since this central node is also backed by a
terrace with a pool outside the cafeteria where employees may relax or
eat, "the power and authority of the state ... find their raison d'etre
in the wisdom of the citizenry from which, architecturally at least, their
expressions emanate."(l) - SAME
"The United States Post Office building, which stands near the
entrance to the civic center grounds off San Pedro Road is a onestory,
eliptical building in plan, which faces south. The building
has a flat roof hidden by a parapet and is constructed of reinforced
concrete block masonry painted the same color as the civic center
complex. A broad, round-arched canopy is cantilevered from the facade
above a glazed wall divided into five sections by metal mullions,
which has double, glazed entrance doors at each end. This entrance
porch is approached by four steps which compose a base rounded at the
ends where it joins the building. Originally, a large plastic globe
of the world was mounted on a pole centered outside the glazed wall.
Over time the plastic deteriorated and the globe was removed. This is
the only alteration to the building. The cast-concrete canopy is
embellished with a band of indented, circle motifs running across the
cornice. On the back side of the building is a recessed loading dock,
which is sheltered by a projecting canopy. Each of the curved walls
flanking the loading dock has two round windows. The interior is
divided into a mailroom on the north side and an eliptical lobby on
the south side. The lobby is separated from the mailroom by a wall
divided into a section for mail boxes and a counter area." -NAT REG

"Both the three-story Administration Building and the four-story Hall" - NAT REGISTER

Constructed over a span of nearly 25 years, the complex is comprised of six buildings as well as natural landscapes, park land, and water features.
"The master plan for the site respects its topography. The buildings,
hills, roads, parking areas, lagoon, and prominent landscape
features were linked together to facilitate the movement of people and
automobiles. The north portion of the site was set aside for the
county fairgrounds. Various features of the fairground that Wright
designed for example, the amphitheatre--were altered or never built;
the lagoon is the major surviving feature of this part of the grounds.
A landscape plan prepared by Aaron Green working with Frank Lloyd
Wright is attached; it shows a disposition of trees and other vegetation
that remains largely intact. Pine trees are dominant around the
building complex; many varieties of non-native trees, including oaks,
poplars, willows, occur around the site. The hilltop at the south end
of the Administration Building, which has a terrace outside the
entrance to the top floor, is planted with native plants as a specimen
landscape." _NAT REG
"Three structures on the site do not contribute to the district.
They are: a garage of 1971, which stands on the lower, northwest
portion of the site near Route 101 where the county fair pavilion was
planned; the Veterans Auditorium and associated exhibition buildings,
which were designed by the Taliesin Fellowship/Taliesin Associated
Architects tp be stylistically compatible with the civic center
buildings and completed in 1971. The approximately 81.5 acres of the
site that fall within the dotted line on the attached site map may
have a high degree of integrity and convey Frank Lloyd Wright's
intentions.for the expression of democracy in a design that integrates
architecture and landscape." - NAT REG

Although Frank Lloyd Wright is known for his innovation in construction materials and design, it seems the Marin County Civic Center does not warrant significance from the technical standpoint. The method of construction here is similar to that of other buildings constructed before the center.

The Marin County Civic Center is significant in terms of the social history of Marin County. By the middle of the 1950s, a drastic change of both the demographics and politics of Marin County had taken place. Before this period of time, Marin County had a very small population which was run by an exclusive clique of elected officials. However, during World War II, this area just north of San Francisco was heavily settled by new migrants, those of whom were needed to build ships for the United States Armed Forces. This newly arrived population brought with them new political ideals, which lead to the election of the first woman to the County Board of Supervisors in 1953, Vera Schultz. The newly elected official spearheaded an effort to reorganize the county government from a piecemeal organization of small local city governments with separate budgets to a county administrator form of government, resulting in a centralized power. The Marin County Civic Center is a product of the new governmental organization of the region.