Marin County Civic Center

About

The Marin County Civic Center is a governmental complex in San Rafael, the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and Taliesin Associated Architects (TAA), the 140-acre (57 ha) complex consists of several buildings constructed between 1960 and 1976. The main building consists of two connected wings: the Administration Building to the south and the Hall of Justice to the north. The Civic Center campus also includes an armory, a post office, the Veterans Memorial Auditorium, an exhibition hall, a lagoon, and fairgrounds.

The site was acquired in 1956, and Wright was hired a year later. The development process was complicated by disputes between Marin County's supervisors, and Wright died in 1959 before design was completed. Groundbreaking for the Civic Center took place in 1960, and the armory opened the next year. Both the Administration Building and post office were completed in 1962. After the Hall of Justice opened in 1969, a hostage attack and a bombing took place there the next year, prompting various upgrades and security measures. The Veterans Memorial Auditorium opened in 1971, and the exhibition hall opened in 1976. Since then, the buildings have undergone multiple renovations. A new jail was added in the 1990s following much controversy, and plans for a permanent farmers' market facility were put forth in the 2010s and 2020s.