Marin County Civic Center, Marin County, California

Marin County Civic Center from one of the terraces.

In January of 2000 I did a road trip that circled the entire United States.  My goals were to see a lot of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, ride my mountain bike a lot and get a few days of snowboarding in when possible.  The highlight of the trip was visiting the Marin County Civic Center north of San Fancisco.

Built in 1957, it is a major feature of the local landscape.  The building stretches for over 1/4 mile between two hills and overlooking a valley.  It was used as a setting for the movie “Gattica” in the 1990s where it was depicted as a futuristic building from the next century.  That isn’t a bad description for this masterpiece of architectural design.

Side view of the many terraces and windows.

Looking the other direction down the valley.

This gives an idea of the length of the building.

Open areas looking to upper floor

Looking up from the driveway.

The view from one of the main entrances

Once inside, the building warms up.. showing plants and wood floors and the beautiful skylights.

One of the many outdoor patios.

Fountain and pond on the upper terrace.

The spire is actually the furnace chimney.  You can see the smoke coming out half way up.

From the parking lot.

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About the author

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Brad Smith

Brad Smith is an experienced interior designer and the founder of OmniHomeIdeas.com. With a Master's degree in Interior Design from Pratt Institute and a passion for creating safe and healthy living spaces, Brad shares his expert insights and innovative design ideas with our readers. His work is driven by the belief that home is where every story begins.

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