Marin Civic Center, 1957
3501 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael (about 20 miles north of San Francisco on US Hwy 101It is said that Frank Lloyd Wright walked off the highway at this site and said "I will cover your hills with arches." The design's domed roof and arched arcades fulfill his promise. The Marin Civic Center was one of Wright's last designs, its construction completed after his death. With an 80-foot-wide dome as its focal point, the structure is crowned with a 172-foot gold tower. Wright used the much symbolism in the design to embody his philosophy of government and his design is so timelessly modern that the building was filmed as Gattaca Corporation headquarters in the 1997 film of the same name.
Guided tours are given weekly and the facility is fully open only on weekdays.
Hanna House, 1936
Palo Alto (about 30 miles south of San Francisco off I-280)Hanna House was designed for Stanford University professor Paul Hanna, his wife Jean and their five children. They asked Wright to design an inexpensive house for their growing family, and Wright's solution was a glass-fronted collection of hexagon-shaped spaces surrounding a brick chimney. The design gives rise to the house's nickname of "Honeycomb House" and it was Wright's first design based on non-rectangular forms. The house that the Hannas thought would cost them $15,000 ended up costing $37,000. While the house was generally considered to be one of Wright's Usonian designs created for middle-income families, subsequent additions pushed its eventual size and cost far beyond the means of "Middle America." Hanna House is recognized by the American Institute of Architects as one of the seventeen Wright buildings that best represent his contribution to American culture.
The house was the Hanna family's home until 1975, when it was donated to Stanford University. It served as the provost's home until the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, when it was severely damaged and subsequently closed for almost a decade for a seismic retrofit. Tours are available by reservation only. (NOTE: We apologize in advance if you find this link broken. We update our links once a month, but Stanford changes the Hanna House link faster than we can keep up.)
V. C. Morris Gift Shop, 1948
140 Maiden Lane, San Francisco (near Union Square)On Maiden Lane, just off San Francisco's Union Square, the V. C. Morris gift shop's distinctive arched brickwork was designed to lure passers-by into the shop's airy interior. The design resembles the Guggenheim Museum, which Wright was designing at the same time. The curvilinear ramp's shape is repeated in the display cases, tables and other furnishing. This structure is recognized by the American Institute of Architects as one of the seventeen Wright buildings that best represent his contribution to American culture.
The building's current occupant is Xanadu Gallery. No formal tours are given, but visitors are welcome.
Other Frank Lloyd Wright houses located in the San Francisco area but not open to the public:
- Atherton: Arthur C. Mathews House, 1950
- Berkeley: Hilary and Joe Feldman House, 1974
- Carmel: Mrs. Clinton Walker House, 1948
- Hillsborough: Sidney Bazett House, 1939
- San Anselmo: Robert Berger House, 1950
More: Frank Lloyd Wright in California | Frank Lloyd Wright Structures in Los Angeles | Frank Lloyd Wright Structures in the Rest of California
