Marin County Center, San Rafael

Public library at the Marin County Civic Center. Not a spectacular collection, but a great spot for a library, the room is right underneath the cupola of this amazing building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The Center is hard to miss. Just off Hwy 101 in San Rafael the large peach colored building with the blue roof sticks out like a sore thumb. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, he is said to have taken the idea from the surrounding landscape. Once you try to see the building as a hill and the roof as the sky it kind of makes sense. This is the only Wright building I have been in and the cohesiveness of design is the first thing to strike you. From the lights outside to the door handles to the atrium and gardens there is nothing over looked or left out of the overall design. Though this is a working government building there are docents available to give tours. We just did a quick walk through and even that was impressive. If you want to see Wright in action this is a good place to visit.

Model of the Marin County Civic Center, to be found inside the building in one of the corridors. It shows the center itself and the way it is constructed to blend in with the surrounding landscape.