Druid Heights, the sort of little-known
bohemian enclave of the 1950s and ‘60s on Mount Tamalpais whose counterculture denizens included Zen philosopher Alan Watts, poet Gary Snyder and prostitutes union founder Margot St. James, is being floated for the National Register of Historic Places. The Marin IJ cites a Golden Gate National Recreation Area study that says the compound of meditation houses (like the one pictured) and other structures tucked away in public parkland “would make an ideal artists’ retreat.” CGNRA historian Paul Scolari is on board:
"We went out there and I was like, 'Wow!'" he recalled. ''I was struck by the place. What was striking to me was the kind of architecture that was there, this vernacular architecture that has a contemporary modernist aesthetic, a rustic aesthetic and an Asian aesthetic. It's this really interesting eclectic mix. So, to me, the form of this place seems to suggest a story that might be historically significant."
Noted: “In a chapter titled ‘Zen, Drugs and Hot Tubs’ in his book ‘The Visionary State,’ author Erik Davis describes Druid Heights as ‘one of those rare places that is known but not known,’ the IJ’s Paul Liberatore says.
Historic Preservation,
History,
Places
Druid Heights, the sort of little-known bohemian enclave of the 1950s and ‘60s on Mount Tamalpais whose counterculture denizens included Zen philosopher Alan Watts, poet Gary Snyder and prostitutes union founder Margot St. James, is being floated for the National Register of Historic Places. The Marin IJ cites a Golden Gate National Recreation Area study that says the compound of meditation houses (like the one pictured) and other structures tucked away in public parkland “would make an ideal artists’ retreat.” CGNRA historian Paul Scolari is on board:
