While the Celebration Courtyard Is Rebuilt, Ross's Fall Runs Through Its Smallest Rooms

On August 11, construction fencing went up at Marin Art and Garden Center. The project is mostly on the lower, western half of the site. It covers the Livermore Building, with its dropped ceiling and an awning that was never part of the original design, the Northgate Building, and the Celebration Area between them. The Center calls that area its largest community entertaining space, used for weddings, celebrations of life, cocktail parties and seated dinners under the oaks. The renovated buildings and Celebration Plaza are expected to open in spring 2027.

So this fall, the Center's biggest gathering space is being rebuilt, and the season is happening in much smaller places. Those include a barn theater, a two-hour bulb workshop, an afternoon tea that no longer has its own shop, and a counter-service taqueria with about 20 indoor seats, a couple of doors from the restaurant where its chef trained.

What the Construction Covers

The renovation is called Sowing the Seeds. The Ross Town Council approved it on January 9, 2025. Final designs went to the Town of Ross Building Department on March 13, 2026, and fencing went up five months later. According to the Center, the work is mostly on the lower, western half of the site. It covers deferred maintenance, how people walk through the grounds, and accessibility.

The plan undoes several later changes. In the Livermore Building, the dropped ceiling comes out to expose the original roof structure, and the awning comes down. New decks will open up more of a view of Kittle Creek. The courtyard gets bigger and more open, with more covered area, so it can be used year-round. It will also be better separated from the rest of the grounds, so a celebration and other activities can go on at the same time. New Valley Oaks will be planted there to recall the Center's early landscape.

Here is what stays put:

• Water features. The fountain, both ponds and Kittle Creek, a tributary of Corte Madera Creek, all remain.
• Trees. Some trees in the work areas that are diseased or near the end of their lives will be removed under a tree management plan. New trees and landscaping will be planted across the project area.
• Public access. The grounds stay open during construction. Expect changes to parking, entrances and paths, and follow the posted directions.
• Signage. New entry signs along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and coordinated signs along Laurel Grove Avenue are part of the package. The Laurel Grove signs will direct deliveries and visitors coming to the back of the property.

The Center's largest entertaining space is under construction this season. Its fall programming continues anyway, and almost none of it is built around large celebrations.

A Fall Calendar Built for Small Rooms

Most of what's on the Center's fall calendar is designed for a small group or a seated audience.

The biggest item is the Ross Valley Players' production of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman at the Barn Theatre. Adrian Elfenbaum directs. Charles Queary plays Willy Loman and Mary Ann Rodgers plays Linda. Performances run Thursday through Sunday until October 25. The company's 97th season moves from Miller to a holiday piece. It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play opens November 19 and runs through December 20, so the Barn Theatre will have shows on its schedule for most of the fall while construction continues.

The two October Fridays with Jill Sowards are timed to the garden season. The first covers what to leave standing for pollinators as the garden goes dormant. The second covers what to plant now for color in spring. That spring bloom will come up around the same time the Center expects to reopen the renovated Livermore Building, Northgate Building and Celebration Plaza. Ben Davidson and Laurie Reemsnyder's botanical print workshop fills October 30 with a midday session. Jodi McLean's sound bath on November 14 is a one-hour evening event.

The Tea Room That Went Mobile

The best example of Ross's small-scale season is Crown & Crumpet. Its tearoom in Ross has closed as a permanent shop. The owners now describe the business as catering and pop-ups, and those include afternoon teas at Marin Art and Garden Center. A Pink Halloween Tea at the Center is listed for several dates this season, but the public listing doesn't give the session times, so check with the organizers before planning around it.

Without a storefront, afternoon tea in Ross is now an occasional event at the Center. Readers who used to drop in at the tearoom will need to find the next pop-up date instead.

Ross Common, a Couple of Doors Apart

The same small scale shows up in downtown Ross, where the restaurants on Ross Common share some history.

Taqueria Marin, 13 Ross Common. Cecilio Dominguez and his wife and business partner, Alba Carranza, opened Taqueria Marin in December 2025. It took over the space left empty when chef Marco Franceschini closed Trattoria Fresco in 2024, after 25 years. The couple, who live in San Rafael, also own Taqueria & Pupusería El Torogoz in Larkspur. The Ross menu sticks to street-style food based on Dominguez's years working in taquerias and large hotels on Mexico's Riviera Maya. That includes mojado burritos, a beef birria plate, salsa and tortilla chips made in-house every day, hibiscus agua fresca and micheladas. The build-out took eight months and was led by Ross resident Paris Royo of Royoco Construction & Development Corp. The room has lime green walls, fuchsia ceiling beams, about 20 seats indoors and a few turquoise bistro tables on the sidewalk. It's open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and orders can be placed at taqueriamarintogo.com.

Marché, 23 Ross Common. Dominguez spent seven years in this kitchen when it was still called Marché aux Fleurs, moving up from pantry cook to line cook to sous chef. The restaurant has since shortened its name to Marché, and former owner Dan Baker came back as a co-owner in 2025. The Marin Independent Journal quoted Baker on his former sous chef's new place: "I am so happy for his success in Larkspur and love that his second place is a couple doors down from Marché." Marché serves dinner and offers reservations and takeout through its own site. The listed days aren't consistent across the site, so confirm before you go.

6oz Wine Bar, 3 Ross Common. The wine bar is listed as open Tuesday through Saturday from 4 to 9 p.m. A Ross Valley Players curtain time leaves room for a glass beforehand on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday.

The Ross Post Office at 1 Ross Common completes the short row. Its retail counter is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on weekends.

What December Holds, and What It Doesn't Yet

As of early October, Marin Art and Garden Center hadn't posted 2026 dates for Winter Wonderland or a holiday market. The dates still on the Center's older holiday pages are from previous years, not this one. The confirmed December plans so far are It's a Wonderful Life at the Barn Theatre through December 20, and dinner on Ross Common. For anything else on the grounds, check the Center's calendar as the season gets closer. Executive Director Iris Lax is listed as the contact for questions about the Sowing the Seeds campaign and site tours of the project.

The Livermore Building's renovation removes later additions to show the original roof structure and the creek. We bring the same approach to homes, uncovering the original details that make a property stand out. When you're ready to talk about yours, RARE Properties Northern California offers a private consultation.