From The Friends of Hunter Gym
MARFA — The Friends of Hunter Gym seeks to raise $20,000 in matching funds by December 2025 to help fund a professional restoration plan, a critical document needed before any real construction can begin, and an additional $20,000 for operating costs.
Hunter Gym, located on the southwest corner of the Marfa ISD campus, is perhaps the most significant unrestored building in Marfa. That significance is due not just to its rare art-moderne
architecture and unique adobe construction but also to its incredible history — the result of a student-led initiative in the 1930s, a product of the New Deal’s Works Progress Administration, its role in ending segregation of Marfa’s schools and perhaps most significantly in the everyday lives of scores of athletes, students, teachers, coaches, parents and visitors.
Over the years many well-meaning but ultimately destructive alterations were made to the building and surrounding grounds that led to its rapid deterioration and abandonment.
When the school district passed a bond initiative to build a new gym there was even talk of razing Hunter — an action that was not taken because of its cost. When news of its possible destruction made the rounds, two local residents met with then Superintendent Teloa Swinea to discuss alternatives. She agreed the building was worth saving and allowed the two to apply for a Texas Historic Commission (THC) grant to assess the building’s condition and potential. The resulting Historic Structures Report affirmed the intact structural integrity of the building and, importantly, the feasibility of its rehabilitation and preservation. The THC was so excited to learn of the building and its significance that they designated it a Registered Texas Historical Landmark in 2008.
Building on this momentum, others joined the effort, and in 2022 formed Friends of Hunter Gym, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation. In close collaboration, the Friends and Marfa ISD Board of Trustees entered into a long-term lease agreement, and a prominent local artist generously donated seed money that allowed the Friends to begin the work on the gym’s restoration.
A significant Texas Preservation Trust Fund grant is expected to be granted by the Texas Historical Commission, and a portion of the required matching funds have been secured from the Summerlee Foundation and the City of Marfa’s hotel occupancy tax grant program.
An additional $20,000 in matching funds and $20,000 in operating funds are still needed to undertake the important architectural and engineering planning phase of the project. With a professional restoration plan in place, the project will qualify for the state Historic Preservation Tax Credit program which is estimated to cover 25% of rehabilitation costs and provide matching funds for a subsequent THC development grant.
Planet Marfa has generously agreed to donate a portion of their proceeds during Homecoming weekend — September 26, 27 and 28 — to the Friends of Hunter Gym. The organization is also seeking individual donations in order to raise the required matching and operating funds.
Once restored to its original configuration with upgraded electrical and plumbing infrastructure and all 35 windows back in place, the building can host community gatherings, proms, science fairs, art exhibits, before- and after-school programming, sporting events and resume its central role in the lives of Marfans for generations to come.
The Friends of Hunter Gym meet monthly to continue the work to restore and preserve this important piece of Marfa’s history and welcomes the participation of all who share this vision.
For more information, visit huntergymmarfa.org.