Loading summary
Transcript5 lines
- [00:10]
A
Civic buildings stand as pillars within their communities, but their designs typically call for making buildings functional and accessible. On occasion, though, civic architecture has turned what is normally a drab government structure into something uplifting. One memorable example stands in the suburbs of San Francisco in in the shape of the Marin County Civic Center, a complex designed by the great American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. You're listening to Tall Stories, a Monocle production brought to you by the team behind the Urbanist.
- [00:41]
B
I'm Andrew Tuck.
- [00:42]
A
In this episode, Ivan Cavallo chronicles the story of Frank Lloyd Wright's largest public project, the final commission in his impressive body of work.
- [00:58]
B
Good enough for government work is a saying often heard in America when proclaiming something to be adequate or meeting the minimum standards. Yet mediocrity was far from the minds of officials in Marin county, an affluent region north of San Francisco, when In the late 1950s, they gathered to decide on plans for a new complex to serve as the seat of the county government. After rejecting 26 designs, all of which called for bulldozing the hilly terrain chosen to host the site, officials turned to the country's preeminent architect of the time, Frank Lloyd Wright. Opting to integrate the complex into nature, Wright decided to bridge the hills with a series of graceful arches and place the building upon those arches. This approach was a move away from the more imposing neoclassical architecture often seen in civic buildings across America. With the Marin County Civic Center, Wright erected two elongated buildings set at different heights that link the crowns of three hills. The two horizontal structures, one housing the hall of justice, the other county offices, meet at an angle and are positioned as if to embrace their surroundings. Where they converge, one finds a circular dome beneath which sits a public library. Given California's dependence on the automobile, Wright envisioned cars passing underneath the arches and to drop off residents at the entrance. Locals would then move up the floors, which are bathed in natural light, as each hall features an atrium running down the center of the building, which widen as one ascends the floors to create an illusion of upward spiraling ramps. Walls are adorned in a soothing sandy beige color, while doors and flooring boast Wright's trademark Cherokee red hue. Decorative flourishes are seen on interior and exterior roof lines in the form of golden spheres that resemble a string of pearls. The roof is a blue that blends with the California sky, a choice made by Wright's widow as the architect passed away before work began on the project in the 1960s, a prominent 172 foot golden spire, which Wright claimed would be used as a radio tower in order to get around local zoning laws, acts as a dramatic punctuation point in the landscape. Despite the massive footprint of the Civic center inside, the spaces don't feel imposing. Its modernist lines possibly conceal a reference to ancient Roman aqueducts with its facade of arches in decreasing size. Yet to observers, the building feels futuristic, and it is no surprise that director George Lucas, a Marin resident himself, found inspiration in Wright's design during the 1970s, when he conjured up new worlds in his Star wars films. Throughout history, civic architecture is often subject to the whim of misguided leaders. Yet the Civic center, thankfully has escaped such a fate. It has aged gracefully and demonstrates yet again the talents of Frank Lloyd Wright, who here has shown above all his ability to fulfill one's civic duty.
- [04:05]
A
Tall Stories is a monocle of production from the team behind the Urbanist. This episode was written by Ivan Cavallo and produced and edited by David Stevens. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to receive new episodes every week. I'm Andrew Tuck. Goodbye and thank you for listening. City Lovers.