GHILOTTI BROS. INC.
CONSTRUCTION
1 Crissy Field renovation: beaches,
lawns and wetlands creation
2 101/580 Interchange and carpool
lane installation through Central
San Rafael
3 Marin County Civic Center grading
4 San Pedro Road widening
5 Pedestrian overcrossing on
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard at
Wolfe Grade
6 Lombard Street resurfacing
MCNEAR BRICK & BLOCK
BRICK WORK
1 Shriner’s Hospital on 19th Avenue
2 San Rafael’s city hall and library
3 Cal Berkeley’s Phi Gamma Delta
fraternity house
4 Church of the Redeemer in
San Rafael
ONGARO AND SONS
PLUMBING AND HEATING
1 George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch
2 San Domenico School in
Sleepy Hollow
3 S.F. Theological Seminary
in San Anselmo
4 San Quentin State Prison
5 Angel Island bathrooms
6 Coast guard housing at Point
Reyes Lighthouse
WEST END NURSERY
PLANTS AND SHRUBBERY
1 Parkway trees for San Rafael,
Larkspur, Corte Madera and
San Anselmo
2 Marin General Hospital
3 College of Marin
California’s largest construction companies.
Typical of the firm’s work are tasks like grading
the Marin County Civic Center, reconfiguring (four times) the major intersection in San
Anselmo known as the Hub and widening
nearby Red Hill Avenue, often referred to as
the Miracle Mile.
Ghilotti Bros. also graded and did infrastructure work for most of the homes in
Novato’s San Marin and all site work for George
Lucas’ original Skywalker Ranch. In 1986 the
firm grubbed out Southern Pacific’s rail lines
in the town of Tiburon and graded for the
Point Tiburon town house development. And
in 2008 Ghilotti Bros. were the lead contractors
for the massive realignment of the Highway
101–Highway 580 interchange, adding carpool
lanes to a traffic complex that currently handles
over 135,000 cars a day in central San Rafael.
Ironically, San Rafael is the “village” where the
firm’s founder, James Ghilotti, first emigrated
more than a century earlier.
James and his wife, Amalia, had five sons
— Willie, Dino, Mario, Babe and Dante — and
a daughter, Nancy. Starting his trade in 1914,
James soon became a reputable contractor,
building concrete and rock retaining walls
throughout Marin and Sonoma counties. One
job involved Marin’s Alpine Lake reservoir;
another was Larkspur’s Blue Rock Inn, now
the popular Left Bank Brasserie. In 1939, as his
sons started working in the business, it became
known as James Ghilotti and Sons.
All four Ghilotti brothers (Dante died
at a young age) served in World War II and,
on returning, plunged headfirst into the
“IRONICALLY,
SAN RAFAEL
IS THE
‘VILLAGE’
WHERE
THE FIRM’S
FOUNDER,
JAMES
GHILOTTI,
FIRST
EMIGRATED
MORE THAN
A CENTURY
EARLIER.”
soon-to-be-booming construction business.
Concrete tilt-ups, asphalt and concrete paving,
and heavy earthmoving jobs became the company’s forte. In 1950, James retired; 10 years
later son Babe formed his own separate construction company. Then in 1967 Willie died,
leaving brothers Dino and Mario to run the
business through 45 years of incredible growth.
At a Glance
The families mentioned in this article
have been involved
in some pretty big
Bay Area projects.
Here are some of
the largest.
