Marin Civic Center, part 2 of 2

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photo by Donald Kinney

Walk through the Marin Civic Center and you are guaranteed to be absorbed in the uniqueness of the architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright. Frank called this style "organic", and I simply call it "far out".



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photo by Donald Kinney

And we can thank a woman, Vera Schultz, who in 1952 was the first woman to serve on the County Board of Supervisors. Vera was outgoing and loved art and architecture, and in 1952 the far-out buildings Frank Lloyd Wright and his staff of architects was designing in various parts of the country were all the rage. Wright commanded a hefty fee for his services and Marin County paid dearly for a unique building design that many of the "locals" hated with a passion.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Above, that's my 7-color posterized photo on the left, and the image of F.L.W. was on display as part of an exhibit of the building's concept, planning, construction, and subsequent additions.



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photo by Donald Kinney

As I mentioned, Vera Schultz was the "spark-plug" behind getting a majority of fellow supervisors behind her for the expensive and almost over-the-top design. But Frank Lloyd Wright gave a convincing lecture locally explaining how he was trying to link the surrounding reddish hills and green pastures into a curved and convoluted building that would look like it was part of the land--like it actually belonged there. The Supervisors agreed to go ahead with construction--many citizens still objected and were angry.



click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney

This is the spire--actually a steam vent for the building's boiler. A Frank Lloyd Wright designed chimney. Definitely, it's one of a kind, and so was Frank Lloyd Wright.



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