MARFA — Judd Foundation today announced plans for completing the restoration and rebuilding of Donald Judd’s Architecture Office. One of 11 buildings associated with Judd in Marfa recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, the Architecture Office will open to the public in September 2025.
Following three years of historic restoration initiated by Judd Foundation in 2018, the Architecture Office project was halted by a building fire in June 2021. The project will continue to implement the foundation’s original restoration plans, which primarily focused on the stabilization of the historic structure and the protection of the works it houses. The first phase, from 2018 to 2019, restored the building envelope using traditional masonry techniques to repair and repoint the brick façade while maintaining its original aesthetic. The second phase, which began in 2019 and was near completion at the time of the fire, addressed the interior spaces and focused on preserving historic details and materials. The final construction phase will continue through the remainder of 2024, followed by reinstallation of the building’s collection in mid-2025.
“What Don made was about the here and now — about how the built environment is made with thought. The Architecture Office allows one to experience that idea and see the materials Don used to make it, to see his thinking,” said Flavin Judd, artistic director of Judd Foundation. “He believed that the preservation of art and architecture is the preservation of history, and that the ability to experience a culture physically is the best way to understand it.”
Throughout the restoration and reconstruction of the Architecture Office, Judd Foundation has utilized energy efficiency systems and sustainable materials that will improve the building’s performance while retaining its historic character. These include the use of insulated glazing within traditional wood sash windows to shield against temperature extremes and recycled insulation to mitigate heat gain and loss. A passive outdoor air-cooling system in the ground floor office will harness the inherent swings in Marfa’s desert climate to stabilize the building’s indoor environment. New solar panels on the roof will provide for the building’s daily electrical load.
The Architecture Office is one of six major projects in Judd Foundation’s long-term restoration plan for its buildings in Texas. Once restored, it will open as part of the foundation’s public guided-visit program, providing access to the permanently installed working space that contains architectural models, building plans, design prototypes and Judd’s furniture. A permanently installed living space on the building’s second floor, with paintings by John Chamberlain and furniture by Alvar Aalto, will open to the public for the first time. The restoration will further provide new program spaces for the Foundation and accommodation for visiting researchers and staff.
Judd Foundation will celebrate the opening of the Architecture Office on Saturday, September 20, 2025. The daylong event will include an open house along with a community celebration. The opening will be accompanied by public programs and special extended hours. These programs will be announced at a later date.
The Architecture Office follows the historic restoration of Judd’s building at 101 Spring Street in New York, completed in 2013, which provided the model for the contextual approach, rigorous attention to detail, and commitment to quality employed for this project. Judd Foundation collaborated with architects SCHAUM/SHIEH, who have worked on a number of Judd buildings in Marfa, to realize the project.
“The restoration of the Architecture Office simultaneously embraces challenges of sustainability in the desert climate, the history of Marfa, and Donald Judd’s work,” said Troy Schaum, partner at SCHAUM/SHIEH. “Through the phases of the work, the building was meticulously restored brick by brick, but also reexamined holistically to incorporate Judd’s interventions for the building with practices embedded in Marfa’s historic urban fabric.”
Donald Judd purchased the Glascock Building, located on Highland Avenue in Downtown Marfa, in 1990. Built at the turn of the 20th century, the 5,000-square-foot building was originally operated as a store and later housed various commercial businesses. Sited in direct proximity to his Architecture Studio, the street level of this two-story structure was renovated by Judd for use as his Architecture Office. The Architecture Office is a primary example of Judd’s practice of repurposing existing buildings and restoring historic structures in New York and Texas. The Architecture Office contains furniture and objects designed by Judd as well as plans and models of his architectural projects in the United States and Europe, including the Basel Bahnhof and his former Swiss residence, Eichholteren. Judd intended for the second floor of the building to function as a living space for guests. The largest of these spaces was intended to have a permanent installation of six paintings by John Chamberlain and furniture by Alvar Aalto.
Judd Foundation will complete these plans as part of the restoration and rebuilding of the Architecture Office. The Judd Foundation is grateful for the support of public and private donors to the restoration of the Architecture Office. Major support was provided by the Judd Foundation Board of Directors, The Brown Foundation, Inc. of Houston, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, and Suzanne Deal Booth. Additional support was provided by the City of Marfa.
The Marfa Restoration Plan
Judd Foundation’s Marfa Restoration Plan is a multi-year initiative to ensure its buildings remain, as Donald Judd intended, vital spaces for the direct engagement of his work. In support of the Foundation’s mission, the plan focuses on the protection and restoration of spaces; completion of Judd’s building architecture; expansion of collections and archive facilities; and public access to permanently installed spaces. The plan also includes La Mansana de Chinati/The Block, the Print Building, the Archive Building, the Ranch Office, and Judd’s ranch houses. The Marfa Restoration Committee includes: Suzanne Deal Booth and Dudley Del Balso, co-chairs; Robert C. Beyer; Fairfax Dorn; and Michael Govan.