Exploring Marin County Civic Center
I formed an appreciation for the storied work of Frank Lloyd Wright after spending some nights in a home in Wisconsin built by one of his protégés in the middle of a white Christmas. There’s nothing quite like folding in ground cloves, molasses, and dusting warm pfeffernüsse cookies with powdered sugar fresh from the oven and stepping away to a carpeted sunken in bar fully outfitted to make a mean greyhound. All before jetting off to Massachusetts during the pandemic with a mask & and $50 boarding pass. I’ve been keen since to discover more about the Architectural legend. During that fated trip to the East Coast I also tried and made fondue for the first time, and baked Ina Garten’s chocolate cake recipe for a birthday celebration. Both of which I’d like to revisit and perfect. A new friend present at an intimate gathering of 6 beside the outdoor fire pit (COVID-ERA precaution) regaled his mother’s words of wisdom which were, “Never try a recipe for the first time when you’re expecting guests.” The good news is that I hit the cake out of the park.
Not much of this has anything to do with Frank Lloyd Wright especially as the home I was staying in Massachusetts was a Colonial gem on a tree lined street. Although, I do love the idea that the architecture you inhabit can shape both perception and experience. In the same vein; some of us were in a multi-million dollar home pulling hot chilli sauce from the fridge and tending to lentil sprouts on the windowsill watching MSNBC— merely a spectator of chaos, while others of us were “simply meandering” into the capital on January 6th and branded as insurrectionists. Not unlike sitting on my grandparent’s couch in Southern California eating spoonfuls of Breyer’s ice cream like a pampered house-cat watching the evening news broadcast George Floyd protestors across the country. There is comfort and then there is participation. Along with this, the mental associations of a lived-in home that tells a story has left an indelible impression on me.
Marin County Civic Center Takeaways
Commissioned in 1957, the Marin County Civic Center was Frank Lloyd Wright’s last and largest public project. In addition to housing local government functions, the Administration Building, completed in 1962, and the Hall of Justice, completed in 1969, were designed to provide civic and cultural functions that would serve Marin County and San Francisco. Ultimately this is a thoroughly impressive County Seat, it feels like its own very productive ecosystem.
Thematically it stirred my memory of; lengthy Ram Dass lectures I listened to beside a lake in Vermont, UFO (1970), and How to Love, by Thích Nhất Hạnh. That and maybe Early Morning Rain by Peter, Paul, and Mary.
And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith, and do not doubt, you shall not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it shall happen. And everything you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.” (Matthew 21:21-22)
The Library
In the library I briefly explored the world of Zaha Hadid. Any library is only as strong as the diversity of illustrations found in the children’s section.
Bergisel Ski Jump
Innsbruck Austria
1999-2002
Built
Height: 50cm
Length: 90m
“In December 1999 Zaha Hadid Architects won the international competition for a new ski jump on the Bergisel Mountain in Innsbruck. The new structure opened in 2002. Situated on the Bergisel Mountain overlooking downtown Innsbruck, the ski jump has become a landmark for the city.” -Zaha Hadid Architects
Docent-led tours are held each Friday at 10:30AM. More information can be found here.
xx,
Haley