So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright

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Looking down the hallway of the Marin County Civic Center in San Raphael, California.

One of the highlights of my recent trip to the Bay Area to see my kids was visiting the Marin County Civic Center. I was surprised that touring a civic center was on the agenda with my son and daughter-in-law. But I soon learned that it was Frank Lloyd Wright’s largest public project and also his last commission.

Intended to centralize thirteen dispersed Marin county departments, the Civic Center project encompassed an entire campus of civic structures and incorporated ideas from Wright’s Broadacre City scheme of the 1930s. The three-story 580-foot long Administration Building, and a four story 880-foot long Hall of Justice together spanned the valleys between three adjacent hills. The flattened dome of the circular library and its connected gold tower (built to encase a smokestack and a radio transmitter) form the focal point of the plan. The concrete Civic Center’s pink stucco walls, blue roof and scalloped balconies are distinctive. The interiors feature glass walls and are arranged around open atriums in order to promote the transparency that Wright felt governments should promote. Though Wright planned the atriums to be open to the sky, practical considerations saw barrel-vaulted skylights put in following Wright’s death. Construction was carried out by William Wesley Peters and Aaron Green. The Hall of Justice was completed in 1969, the Veterans Memorial Auditorium opened in 1971, and the Exhibit Hall opened in 1976. The site also includes a circular post office, Wright’s only commission for a national U.S. government facility. https://franklloydwright.org/site/marin-county-civic-center/

This was a model of the Marin County Civic Center I discovered outside of the library.

A committee interviewed 26 architectural firms in 1956 to select an architect for the civic center. Peter Neutra was the lead candidate. Frank Lloyd Wright was not interviewed and refused to participate in a competitive selection. Wright had an ardent supporter on the Board of Supervisors but it was a battle to get him appointed as the architect. Wright eventually earned the commission and was directed to proceed with detailed design on April 28, 1958. In March 1959 Wright was appointed to design the post office. On April 9, 1959, Wright died at age 91. The Civic Center continued under the direction of two of Wright’s architects, Wesley Peters and Aaron Green.

Here’s a view of a spire through the ceiling glass. We have a Frank Lloyd Wright spire at a shopping center in Scottsdale. That spire was originally planned for a capitol building that Wright designed without anyone asking for it. His project was never approved or brought to life, but the spire was built.

This is the library in the civic center. We walked the entire length of the building and saw the sheriffs department, attorney general’s office, library, a state senator’s office, cafeteria, court house and government agencies including financial, community services and administrative offices.

Next to the large building is the jail. Isn’t that amazing? The jail is underground and a tunnel connects it to the court house.

Here’s s view of the spire from outside.

The design has been controversial with the blue roof. But I thought it was beautiful!

I wrote about Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s compound in Scottsdale HERE.

Are you a Frank Lloyd Wright fan?

What Wright homes or buildings have you visited?

32 thoughts on “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright”

  2. How neat! I especially love the glass ceiling and the lighting in the library. Wright had such a unique style, and it’s neat going on tours and learning the reasoning behind different choices, like a small doorway opening up to high ceilings or lower flooring so eye-level is ground-level outside. I’ve only been to Taliesin West, and Gammage Auditorium; and have seen the Scottsdale spire and visited the Biltmore hotel and it’s sprites.

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    • I have visited Taliesin West several times after moving to Arizona, but I was not aware of Gammage Auditorium or the sprites at the Biltmore. Thanks for giving me more Frank Lloyd Wright projects to visit!

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  3. A beautiful building! The man was way ahead of his time with his designs. Underground is a perfect place for criminals, lets build more like that. I’m glad you had a great time Elizabeth!

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    • Thanks! It was a great trip. It was the first time my son visited the civic center on a week day. That meant everything was open and doors weren’t locked. It is a beautiful building.

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  4. Thanks for the tour EA! I sort of love that the prison was built into the hill. Somehow that seems appropriate. I am always impressed with Wright’s work, although that mid-century modern style just isn’t my favorite.

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  5. I like Wright’s attitude. At his age, especially, why the heck would anyone care about competing? And I like that he designed a spire, even though no one asked for one. It shows that he enjoyed his work, whether or not he was paid.

    Anyway, it looks to me like he and his successors did a great job with the design.

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    • Wright actually created an entire design for a capitol building and then tried to get the government to agree to build it. The only thing in his plan that was built was the spire. I’m not sure if people realize it’s by Frank Lloyd Wright at that shopping center. At Christmas, they put an Elf on a Shelf on it, which seems so wrong to me!

      I agree that I like his attitude too of refusing to compete for a commission.

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  6. I love Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings. I have only visited two with a full tour, both homes. One is a home he built in Racine, WI and I have forgotten it’s name, but it was wonderful. I’ve past the Johnson Wax building also in Racine many times, but never toured it. I fell in love with Taliesin in Spring Green, WI. There’s no describing the way the eye and all the senses respond to the way he always provides a line of sight— views, light, texture all seeming effortlessly to flow into the surrounding nature. I have never forgotten Taliesin.

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    • You give a great description of what is so entrancing about Frank Lloyd Wright’s structures. It is all about the views, light and texture and lines of sight. How great you’ve visited two homes.

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  7. Wow – I love that look down the hallway. I’ve always loved Frank Lloyd Wright but I’m not sure I’ve seen one of his buildings in person – just museum exhibits. Thanks for sharing!

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    • The hallway was so gorgeous. It was originally open but they put windows across the top. I can imagine the weather would be an issue. You could look down four levels which was amazing, too.

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    • The Marin County Civic Center is very controversial because it doesn’t blend in with the environment. Some residents complain that it looks like a spaceship. It was fascinating to walk through. The spaces were inviting. Yes, that jail is something else!

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  12. I love that your son and daughter-in-law put a civic center on the agenda — the buildings you don’t expect to visit often turn out to be the most memorable. The detail about the jail being underground with a tunnel to the courthouse stopped me; Wright really did think of everything. And count me on your side about that blue roof against the pink stucco. We’ve dragged our own kids to more than one ‘why are we here?’ landmark that ended up being the highlight, so this really landed.

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    • Thank you so much. Yes, it was such a surprise. My son and DIL mentioned the Marin Civic Center, but I didn’t associate it with Frank Lloyd Wright. So it was a great surprise and one of the true highlights of my trip.

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