Marin Civic Center Roof to be Cleaned

For Immediate Release –

Marin County, CA –

The iconic and historic roof will undergo an intensive maintenance process to ensure serviceability – the ‘Marin Blue’ color is expected to be restored as a part of the process

Marin County, CA – The Marin County Civic Center will soon have its roof cleaned, returning it to the iconic “Marin Blue” color. The vibrant blue roof on the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building has been concealed by a layer of encrusted dust and dirt, giving it a pale gray color.

The membrane material of the roof, which was applied in 2020, needs a specialized cleaning process every five years. This summer, the County of Marin’s Department of Public Works (DPW) will have the new roof professionally cleaned for the first time to remove the layer of debris that has accumulated since it was installed.

The project to clean the roof and make minor repairs will be advertised for public bids by the end of March and is expected to have the contract awarded by the Marin County Board of Supervisors in June. The actual cleaning process is anticipated to begin in August and take approximately two months to complete. Due to the uniqueness of the building and the special material of the roof, there is not a standardized process for the planned work. DPW staff estimate that the project may cost $1.5 million, which is covered by the Capital Improvement Program fund.

The cleaning process is a complicated one, which is expected to include multiple high-pressure washes, power scrubbing and hand scrubbing in the more detailed areas. The soap will be biodegradable and safe for plants and animals. Once cleaning has been completed, any needed repairs will be addressed.

The 470,168-square-foot Civic Center is the largest completed public project that Wright designed and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Civic Center is characterized by a concrete roof with distinctive blue coating and stylized ornamentation. Since the original construction over 60 years ago, the roof has had four layers of recoating and patchwork.

A roof assessment in 2015 noted the extent of work needed to preserve the historic building was beyond simple repair efforts, and highlighted the need to completely replace the roof, which has the surface area of approximately three football fields. The resulting roof replacement project began in 2018 and was completed in 2020.

The roof’s membrane material will continue to need maintenance approximately every five years to retain the vibrant blue color and the product warranty. At the 20-year mark, the roof is expected to require a new coat of the membrane material.