Green Brae Brick Yard
Also known as: Remillard Brick Kiln
Why it's listed
A long, low brick kiln and a tall freestanding chimney on the San Quentin Peninsula in Larkspur are all that remain of the Green Brae brickyard, which once had more than 25 buildings and structures on about 150 acres. The Remillard brothers completed the kiln in 1891, and the yard operated until 1915. It is a Hoffman-type kiln, a continuous design in which fire moved from chamber to chamber around a 370-foot tunnel while bricks were loaded and removed. The 125-foot octagonal stack stands apart from the kiln, an unusual arrangement, and is marked "R.B. Co." and 1891. The Remillard Brick Company supplied bricks for the original Palace Hotel and for rebuilding San Francisco after 1906. The kiln also sits on a recorded Coast Miwok site. Today it is unused and deteriorated, though structurally stable.
Significance in brief: The kiln is described as one of the few surviving Hoffman-type continuous kilns in the United States and as an engineering landmark of brickmaking. It is the only surviving structure of the Remillard Brick Company, once the largest brick maker on the Pacific Coast. The site also has prehistoric Coast Miwok archeological potential and ties to Edward Remillard's inventions.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 78000704, listed March 24, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 125 E. Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Larkspur |
|---|---|
| County | Marin County |
| Listed | March 24, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78000704 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1891-1915 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown (built by the Remillard brothers / Remillard Brick Company) |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Prehistoric, Engineering, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Unused and unoccupied; deteriorated but essentially structurally stable, with vegetation cover and some bricks removed by trespassers. Occasional historic tours are conducted. |
| Acreage | 1.7 |
| Coordinates | 37.94516, -122.50430 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 78000704.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.