Marin County Civic Center on target to becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site

What does the Marin County Civic Center have in common with the Taj Mahal?

Find out on Saturday, June 5 when the Marin County Civic Center and the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy host a lecture by Wright expert Lynda Waggoner, Director of Fallingwater and Conservancy board member. Ms. Waggoner will explore the ongoing UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage List nomination process and the Conservancy’s serial nomination of several Wright structures, including the Civic Center, in the prestigious list.

Commissioned in 1957 and completed in 1970, the Marin County Civic Center was Frank Lloyd Wright’s last major work and the largest public project of his career. The Post Office, included in the Marin County Civic Center site, was also his only constructed work for the United States Government. Instantly recognizable by its domed library rotunda, 200-foot gold anodized spire and the long, rounded, glass-topped walkways that flow into the hills, the Civic Center was completed after the architect’s death under the supervision of protégés and long-time collaborators Aaron Green and William Wesley Peters. Recent work on the Civic Center has included a $2 million roof restoration to repair leaks and restore the original blue anodize fascia to the concrete.

The Conservancy has taken the lead in the effort to gain special international recognition for Wright’s work. Along with the Civic Center, nine other Wright structures, including Fallingwater and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, were approved by the Department of the Interior to be placed on a list from which World Heritage nominations will be drawn. If ultimately accepted by the international body, the Civic Center would join other world renowned and culturally significant landmarks such as the Taj Mahal and the Pyramids of Giza, already recognized for their “outstanding universal value.”

All members of the community are invited to attend. While there is no cost, a $10 donation is suggested. The lecture will begin at 11 a.m. in the County Supervisor’s Room of the Marin County Civic Center (map). A reception following the lecture will give community members an opportunity to informally interact with county representatives, Wright experts and Wright building owners. A special fundraising dinner to support the Marin County Civic Center’s World Heritage Nomination process will be held at a private residence in Carmel later in the evening. (rsvp form)

The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, an international preservation organization, is based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1989, its mission is to facilitate the preservation and maintenance of the remaining structures designed by Frank Lloyd Wright through education, advocacy and technical services.

For full details on this event or to obtain photos, please contact Jeffrey Levine at 312.633.5500 or jlevine@savewright.org.

---