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 Frank Lloyd Wright, however, this was not fully realized in the Civic Center's final design.

In 1994, the new County Jail designed by DMJM with input from Aaron Green, one of the original architects working on the project, was completed. This structure is the last new building to have been constructed within the complex. The jail is seen by some as an alteration of the Civic Center site. The jail was constructed because the county was under court order to improve prison conditions. The punishment for not doing so would have resulted in steep cuts in state funding for the region.In 1998, the original men's and women's jail located in the Hall of Justice was retrofitted to serve as modern office space for county employees.Although the Civic Center survived a 7.1 magnitude earthquake with no visible damage in 1989, there was a concern that the building's long term stability could be affected by such a natural disaster. Therefore the need for a seismic retrofit of the Administration Building and the Hall of Justice was deemed necessary, and the project was completed in 2003. Although a major undertaking, the building's architectural integrity was considered throughout the building process.

Currently, the site is utilized with its original function and intention as the civic center for Marin County, California.

During the past few years, portions of the Marin County Civic Center have undergone various restoration projects. In 1999, conservation funding for the Civic Center complex had reached $28 million dollars, however $24 million of that was used for the seismic retrofit, which could be classified as an alteration to the building as opposed to a conservation measure. Regardless, some restoration work of the building has been undertaken, including the include the restoration of the Administration Building's 172-foot gold tower completed in 2002 and recoating the roof with blue polyurethane.In 2004, the Architectural Firm of Mark Cavagnero Associates was hired to develop a new master plan for the site. As the firm states on their website, \"Due to deterioration of the facilities and the change in the nature of the site uses, the site is underdeveloped and in need of renovation." Therefore, the firm wished to build upon Frank Lloyd Wright's original design intentions while taking into account the nature and uses of the site today.

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. [NEED ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION]

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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.

As Frank Lloyd Wright's 770th and final commission, the Marin County Civic Center warrants cultural and aesthetic significance. His first civic structure, it was the only commission in which Mr. Wright was truly able to create the \"architecture for democracy" of which he was a proponent. In designing the Civic Center, Mr. Wright hoped, "Maybe we can show government how to operate better as a result of better architecture."Additionally, the Marin County Civic Center is significant because of the design's relationship to nature. Immediately after Wright was appointed to design the center, he spoke at a town meeting about the project stating, "Marin County has everything. The buildings of the new Civic Center will express this natural beauty. they will not be a blemish upon the landscape." This sentiment is furthered by Wright seeing the site for the first time, upon which he remarked, "It's as beautiful as California can have. I know exactly what I'm going to do here. I'll build these hills with graceful arches."

Marin County Civic Center is significant on a social and historical level as well as a cultural and aesthetic level. Although Frank Lloyd Wright passed away before the complex was completed, his building designs as well as his master plan certainly guided the construction and design process of the complex as a whole. The three structures which were not planned by Frank Lloyd Wright were still influenced by his original intention. Veterans Auditorium and Marin Center Exhibit Hall were both designed by Taliesen Associated Architects, Frank Lloyd Wright's Architectural Firm. Although the last structure, the County Jail was designed by DMJM, the project was still influenced by Aaron Green, the architect who had worked in conjunction with Frank Lloyd Wright from the beginning of the project until his resignation in 1972.

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