This post previously ran in 2019.
California architecture is as diverse as its population. It encompasses a wide variety of styles, from the Victorian “painted ladies” of San Francisco to the environmentally oriented designs of California Regional Modernism. I’ve traveled up and down the state since moving here from New York, and I’ve found so many buildings that inspire me, enrage me or capture my imagination in one way or another.
In the next few blog posts, I’m sharing a few of my favorite examples of California architecture — some for their beauty, some for their ingenuity and some for their audacity. The first focuses on buildings and structures that were designed for a public purpose:
Golden Gate Bridge
Completed in 1937, the art deco Golden Gate Bridge is art as public infrastructure. The red-orange paint ensures that it holds its own against the spectacular landscape. It’s especially striking when the towers peek out from under a blanket of fog.
Marin County Civic Center Exterior
Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and completed in 1962, after his death, the building, with its varying height elements, echoes the rolling hills in which it sits, and the pink stucco walls are emblematic of California design in the early 1960s. The aqua-blue roof provides contrast with the green and brown of the hills while harmonizing with the color of the California sky.
Marin County Civic Center Interior
The unusual interior combines art deco and modernist elements, and the glass ceiling ensures workers and visitors to this center of civic activity get plenty of sunlight.