Marin County Civic Center | |
![]() The Marin County Civic Center | |
Location | San Rafael, California |
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Coordinates | 37°59′59″N 122°31′48″W / 37.99972°N 122.53000°W |
Built | 1960 |
Architect | Frank Lloyd Wright |
Architectural style | Modern Movement |
NRHP reference No. | 91002055[1] |
CHISL No. | 999[2] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | July 17, 1991 |
Designated NHLD | July 17, 1991[3] |
Designated CHISL | May 8, 1991[2] |
The Marin County Civic Center, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, is located in San Rafael, California, the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. 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; it 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 US 101.[4] Its pink stucco walls, blue roof and scalloped balconies are distinctive. The smaller wing is the county administration building and the larger wing is the Hall of Justice, joined by a round structure on a small hill that houses a branch of the Marin County Free Library.[5]
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.[6]
The nearby fairgrounds host the Marin County Fair in July.[7]
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