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Marin County Civic Center, San Rafael, California
USINFO | 2013-05-23 11:11
The Marin County Civic Center, the last commission by Frank Lloyd Wright, is located in San Rafael, California. Groundbreaking for the Civic Center Administration Building took place in 1960, after Wright's death and under the watch of Wright's protégé, Aaron Green, and was completed in 1962. The Hall of Justice was begun in 1966 and completed in 1969. Veterans Memorial Auditorium opened in 1971, and the Exhibit Hall opened in 1976.
Located away from the former county seat in downtown San Rafael, the expansive complex stretches across two valleys just east of of US 101. Its pink stucco walls, blue roof and scalloped balconies are distinctive. The smaller wing is the county administration building, and the larger the Hall of Justice, joined by a round structure on a small hill that houses a county library.
A battle between factions of the Marin County Board of Supervisors played out through the selection of the site and the architect, the financing of the project and its eventual completion. The Marin County Civic Center is a state and National Historic Landmark. The main Civic Center building has been nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage List as a part of ten properties by Frank Lloyd Wright. The nearby fairgrounds house the Marin County Fair each July.
Landmark designation
The Marin County Civic Center main building was designated a National Historic Landmark on July 17, 1991, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places the same day, in recognition of its exceptional design. The designation came only thirty years after completion of the first phase, compared with the more usual 50-year term before a site is considered for NHL designation. It is also a California Historical Landmark, Number 999, and is, with other Wright buildings, being considered for designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Popular culture
The Civic Center was a filming location for director George Lucas's first feature-length film THX 1138 in 1971. Exterior and interior views of the buildings were featured in the 1997 film Gattaca, and they were pictured in the music video for the song "I Need a Doctor" by Dr. Dre from his forthcoming album, Detox. Lucas used elements of the Civic Center design in the design of structures on Naboo in the Star Wars universe.
Parts of Peter Frampton's 1976 multi-platinum selling live album Frampton Comes Alive! were recorded during his performance at the Marin County Civic Center on June 13, 1975; and "Weird Al" Yankovic recorded his October 2, 1999, live concert video at the Marin County Veterans Memorial Auditorium.
Located away from the former county seat in downtown San Rafael, the expansive complex stretches across two valleys just east of of US 101. Its pink stucco walls, blue roof and scalloped balconies are distinctive. The smaller wing is the county administration building, and the larger the Hall of Justice, joined by a round structure on a small hill that houses a county library.
A battle between factions of the Marin County Board of Supervisors played out through the selection of the site and the architect, the financing of the project and its eventual completion. The Marin County Civic Center is a state and National Historic Landmark. The main Civic Center building has been nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage List as a part of ten properties by Frank Lloyd Wright. The nearby fairgrounds house the Marin County Fair each July.
Landmark designation
The Marin County Civic Center main building was designated a National Historic Landmark on July 17, 1991, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places the same day, in recognition of its exceptional design. The designation came only thirty years after completion of the first phase, compared with the more usual 50-year term before a site is considered for NHL designation. It is also a California Historical Landmark, Number 999, and is, with other Wright buildings, being considered for designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Popular culture
The Civic Center was a filming location for director George Lucas's first feature-length film THX 1138 in 1971. Exterior and interior views of the buildings were featured in the 1997 film Gattaca, and they were pictured in the music video for the song "I Need a Doctor" by Dr. Dre from his forthcoming album, Detox. Lucas used elements of the Civic Center design in the design of structures on Naboo in the Star Wars universe.
Parts of Peter Frampton's 1976 multi-platinum selling live album Frampton Comes Alive! were recorded during his performance at the Marin County Civic Center on June 13, 1975; and "Weird Al" Yankovic recorded his October 2, 1999, live concert video at the Marin County Veterans Memorial Auditorium.
