Golden Gate Village – at the heart of the matter

Golden Gate Village - Marin City Press Conference 

by Beverly Freeman

Back in the early ’90s, I was riding on Highway 101 to a singing gig when my host directed my attention to a row of buildings lit up and tucked among the greenery of the hillside, like a secret city under a starry sky. “That’s public housing,” she said with pride. I nodded and didn’t think anything of it. 

Fast forward to today: I’m amazed at how I ended up in a place I only glanced at for a second in passing, and that it would come to matter so much to me. It matters so much because 20 years later, I live here, where, out of all the places along the 101 Highway, this was the only one which warranted being brought to MY attention. And rightly so, for having learned of some of its history, I know now that it honors the people and their ancestors who made their way through hard times, setting the tone for the evolution of humanity that I am proud to continue – by taking a stand for quality housing that restores Golden Gate Village according to the resident plan.

Over time, I’ve heard stories of life before in the barracks, wartime housing. Folks whose parents worked in the shipyard tell how workers’ spirit carried them through, with grandmothers sharing love, wisdom and soul food that symbolized family ties and community. Some thought of it as a playground, where the Marin Headlands and hills were their backyard. 

For nearly 20 years after the shipyard closed, the Black families who had come to work there faced racism, poverty and exclusion. With little more than determination and hope, they raised families, built churches and created communities. They demanded safe and sanitary housing from Marin County, joined by allies – progressives, labor activists and housing advocates – who pressed the county to do its duty.

When the county finally acted, it must have been refreshing to experience the long-awaited recognition for Black families who had been ignored for far too long, having to endure substandard wartime housing with cardboard walls that let in wind and rain and low-lying areas that flooded during storms. 

A brilliant people still made a life, regardless of the numerous undeniable obstacles. So, when the county chose to provide better housing, they refused to build cheap towers and box-like projects common across America. Instead, they hired Aaron Green, protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright. By 1957, Green was already known internationally for bold, human-centered designs. Choosing him meant this public housing complex would be more than housing – it was a chance to create garden-style apartments that honored both people and place.

An extraordinary reflection – for an extraordinary people. Marin’s public housing became the only public housing complex in the nation designed by award-winning architects Aaron Green and John Carl Warnecke. In 1964, it won the Public Housing Administration’s first Honor Award out of 700 entrants. What had once been dismissed as  public housing – “the projects” – became a source of pride, woven seamlessly into Marin’s natural landscape. Terraces opened to the hills; courtyards invited children to play – proof that a community too often overlooked was worthy of beauty and respect.

In the early 1990s, a contest was held to give the complex a new name. The late Gracie Stover (1935-2025), who lived in Marin City and Golden Gate Village for over 65 years, entered and gifted the community the name it carries with pride today. She was a community mother, a volunteer, once honored as Volunteer of the Year by the Marin City Community Services District. 

Naming the complex was her way of lifting it higher, replacing “the projects” with words of dignity and belonging. In 2017, that truth was affirmed when Golden Gate Village was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, honored for its cultural, social and architectural significance. Experts call it a “masterpiece of organic architecture,” but for those who knew Gracie Stover, the name itself was a masterpiece – her lasting gift of love and pride to the place she called home.

Golden Gate Village has always been more than housing; it is the keeper of a people’s flame

The place – home to the largest Black (of a protected class) community left in Marin County – is Golden Gate Village, the heart of the matter. And today, the responsible thing is to live up to that legacy. Love in the form of upkeep equal to what is given to the Civic Center. Love in the form of fair policies that protect residents’ rights. Love in the form of real partnership with those who live here, working together on the Resident Plan – the only plan that ensures families can stay. With community land trust, pathways to homeownership and resident management, the plan offers not just survival but a foundation strong enough to carry generations.

On Sept. 11 at 10:00 a.m., our Golden Gate Resident Council will hold a press conference. And on the next day, Sept. 12, a rally and vigil at 5 p.m., the Golden Gate Village will rally to carry the torch forward in a culturally rich program for the gift provided generations ago by those who called these courtyards home. 

Golden Gate Village has always been more than housing; it is the keeper of a people’s flame. As a part of one of the 30 Black communities left in the U.S., https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2023/1221/Historic-Black-towns-are-facing-extinction.-But-they-re-fighting-back its survival is not just a local issue but a matter of justice for all humanity. Now, residents are prepared to speak with one voice: to honor the past, protect the present and secure the future. At the heart of the matter is Golden Gate Village – and the call is clear: Love us, back us, fund us and our plan — or let us be.

For more info, contact Golden Gate Village Resident Council at 415-332-1703 or ggvrcouncil@gmail.com. 

Beverly “indie b” Freeman is a playwright, vocalist, artist, and community mover and shaker based in Marin City.

Love

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