06/19/2026
Long before Strawberry Point became the quiet waterfront neighborhood it is today, it was briefly imagined on a far grander scale. In the years just after World War II, local planners and architects proposed the slender peninsula on Richardson Bay as the future home of the United Nations, a permanent “World Peace Center” intended to serve as an international seat of diplomacy, culture, and cooperation. Had the idea taken hold, this small stretch of Marin shoreline might have become one of the most globally recognized sites in the world.
The proposal, led in part by architect William W. Wurster (the architect of our listing at 20 Crest Road) and his colleagues, was both ambitious and distinctly tied to its setting. Plans called for a domed assembly hall, offices, archives, museums, public plazas, and even a small-craft harbor and seaplane base to connect the site to San Francisco and the greater Bay. Supporters saw Strawberry Point as a place of unusual symbolic power, removed from dense urban life, yet closely connected to the cities of the region, and framed by the kind of natural beauty that could reflect the ideals of unity and peace.
In the end, the United Nations went to New York, and Strawberry Point followed a quieter path. But the vision remains a fascinating chapter in Marin history, a reminder that this corner of the Bay was once considered not just scenic, but world-shaping. Even now, that legacy adds another layer to Strawberry’s appeal: a place where natural beauty, architectural imagination, and a remarkable sense of possibility have long converged.
Source: sausalitohistorical.squarespace.com
Photos courtesy of the Belvedere -Tiburon Landmarks Society
