Where the Construction Fence at the Marin Art and Garden Center Ends

Since August 11, 2026, construction fencing has surrounded part of the Marin Art and Garden Center at 30 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. The Center expects the work to be finished by spring 2027. The project, called Sowing the Seeds, is the first phase of the Center's master plan. Its work sits mainly on the lower, western half of the site, where the Center's event venue hosts weddings and dinners. The Center is staying open while that work goes on, and the gardens, the Barn and the fall programs are all running this season.

For a town without a main street, that difference counts. The Center is still open. The hard part is knowing which side of the fence you're walking toward.

What the Fence Surrounds

The Center lists three main project areas plus improvements across the whole site, and the biggest single piece is the Celebration Area. According to the project overview on the Center's website, the plan restores the original relationship between the Livermore and Northgate buildings. It does that by expanding the Celebration Courtyard and its covered areas and updating the ground cover in the outdoor dining areas.

The Livermore Building gets the most visible changes:

• The dropped ceiling comes out, exposing the original roof structure inside
• The awning, which wasn't part of the original building, is removed
• The decks are replaced in a way that shows more of Kittle Creek

When the Town of Ross approved the project, the Marin Independent Journal reported that the pavilion work also includes redwood screens, a trellis, new windows, roofing, railings, stairs and decking. A 275-square-foot storage structure will be demolished and replaced by a new one at the back of the pavilion. The same article listed a redesigned parking area, a kiosk, updated sidewalks, ramps, regraded slopes and ADA-compliant bathrooms. It also cited a projected 16,000-square-foot reduction in impervious surfaces, attributed to the town's building and planning director.

New signs along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard will help visitors find the entrance. Matching signs on Laurel Grove Avenue will route deliveries and event loading to the back of the property.

What the Celebration Area Rebuild Is For

The Center's own description of the Celebration Area lays out what the rebuild is meant to fix. It calls the space its "largest community entertaining space." The rebuild has a specific goal:

"Better separation between the celebration space and other areas so that visitors can enjoy celebrations and other activities concurrently"

That sentence covers most of the project. The Celebration Area hosts wedding ceremonies, celebrations of life, cocktail parties and seated dinners under the oaks. It all happens on a site whose gardens are free to explore every day of the year. The Center says the work will allow year-round use and easier access. Put simply, a rented party and someone walking through to the Rose Garden should be able to share the grounds without getting in each other's way.

The courtyard will also be planted with Valley Oaks. The Center chose them to echo the site's early landscape, to give shade and to strengthen the riparian edge along the creek. Under a tree management plan, some trees in the work areas that are diseased or near the end of their lives will be removed, and new trees and plantings will go in across the project area.

The care in the plan also reflects the site's status. The grounds were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022, and the Center's planning framework says historic designs and National Register guidelines should be respected.

The Garden Side of the Line

The fountain, both ponds and Kittle Creek, a tributary of Corte Madera Creek, are staying. The Center says it will stay open to the public throughout construction. It also says access, parking and pathways may change, and it asks visitors to follow posted directions. The Center hasn't published a map of the fenced area, so the signs at the entrance are the best guide on any given day.

In a July 2026 feature, written in partnership with the Center before the fencing went up, Marin Magazine listed six gardens that would stay open sunrise to sunset, every day of the year:

One stretch of path has a seasonal hazard that has nothing to do with construction. In an October 5 post titled "Falling Acorns," the Center warned visitors about dropping acorns and a bumpy path under the large English oak by Butterfly Cottage. The tree is 170 years old, and the Center expects the acorns to keep falling until "Thanksgiving-ish." It also notes that this isn't a mast year, the occasional year when an oak drops an unusually heavy crop.

The Calendar Through November 5

The clearest sign the Center is still running is its calendar. Between this Thursday, October 22, and the first week of November, these programs are on the grounds:

1. Death of a Salesman, closing weekend. Ross Valley Players' production of Arthur Miller's play, directed by Adrian Elfenbaum, ends its run at the Barn on Sunday, October 25. Evening shows are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, with a 2 p.m. Sunday performance. General admission is $45, youth tickets for ages 18 and under are $30, and tickets are sold online.
2. Fall bulbs workshop, Friday, October 23, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Jill Sowards leads a hands-on session on choosing, planting and caring for bulbs, with materials included.
3. Paper marbling, Friday, October 23, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. A beginner workshop with Suzy Kopf Studio.
4. Pink Halloween Tea, Sunday, October 25, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Crown & Crumpet hosts several seatings with activities and local vendors. Advance reservations are encouraged, and availability at the door is limited.
5. Botanical Collage, Thursday, October 29, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Materials are provided, and the fee is $95 plus processing.
6. First Thursdays Forenoon, Thursday, November 5, 11 a.m. The Moya del Pino Library and Ross Historical Society present "Discovering San Quentin Prison History Through Its Archives" at The Studio, with local historian Carol Acquaviva and Marin History Museum research librarian Lori Deibel. They ask for a $10 donation at the door.

The Barn is older than any of these programs. According to Ross Valley Players' history, the building dates to 1864 and the company was founded in 1930. This fall is its 97th season. After Death of a Salesman, the season lineup includes It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, A Little Night Music, The Many Mysterious Deaths of José Robles, and Lovesong.

What Comes Back in Spring 2027

The fence has an end date. The Center's milestone page lists construction completion and a grand opening of the renovated Livermore Building, Northgate Building and Celebration Plaza for spring 2027. The approval process took a while. The project went to the Ross Advisory Design Review Board on December 17, 2024, and the Town Council approved it on January 9, 2025. Final designs went to the Town of Ross Building Department for permits on March 13, 2026.

Before the courtyard reopens, the Center's holiday season will run on the grounds as they are now. Winter Wonderland is scheduled for December 4 through 23, 2026. It includes a Shop Local Winter Market, wreathmaking, an immersive winter puppetry show, gingerbread houses, printmaking and a holiday tea. Registration is expected to open at the end of October.

The Center says it has raised enough to complete the essential work. Any further gifts would pay for upgrades or additional items. Executive Director Iris Lax and Director of Development Kelly Miller are the listed contacts for questions about the campaign or a site tour of the project.

Gathering places like the Marin Art and Garden Center are a big part of why Ross feels the way it does, and Kris keeps track of how projects like this one change everyday life around them. If you'd like to talk about how the Center and the rest of central Marin fit into your plans for your own home, request a home valuation through Kris Klein and start a calm, unhurried conversation.