Judd’s Architecture Office Opens to the Public

Just after midnight on June 4, 2021, flames cut through the heart of downtown Marfa, smoke curling up from the Glascock Building at the corner of Highland and Oak streets—a modest 5,000-sf, two-story brick storefront that had, since the early 1990s, housed Donald Judd’s Architecture Office. By dawn, the building stood gutted, its roof and central interiors reduced to char. What had been the focus of a careful, years-long preservation effort, poised for reinstallation, now faced near-total reconstruction.

Troy Schaum, principal of Schaum Architects and associate professor at Rice University’s School of Architecture, recalls receiving a call early that morning from Rainer Judd, president of Judd Foundation, asking if he had heard the news. “I thought immediately something bad had happened to a person because we had been hearing such bad news about people during that time [the COVID-19 pandemic]. There was a small amount of relief that it was not a person we were discussing but a building. But then there was another rush of feeling of loss and worry and concern about this amazing material artifact that we had worked so diligently to restore. In an instant it just disappeared.”

The Glascock Building, constructed in 1907, originally operated as a boarding house and grocery. Like many early commercial buildings in Marfa, its architecture was pragmatic but quietly distinguished—brick walls, tall storefront windows, and a prominent cornice marking its corner. By the time Judd purchased it in 1990, the structure had endured decades of commercial use and decline.

Judd’s approach was to preserve: restoring lost or damaged elements and sandblasting the painted brick to expose the original material. The ground floor became a working office for new commissions. Drawings of projects such as the Peter Merian Haus and Judd’s home Eichholteren hung on the brick walls; architectural models and design prototypes occupied tables; and Judd’s plywood and metal furniture animated the interiors. Upstairs, Judd created the Architecture Apartment, a set of domestic rooms housing six John Chamberlain paintings, furniture by Alvar Aalto, and more of Judd’s own designs.

After Judd’s death in 1994, the building deteriorated. Water infiltration and failing mortar joints—perhaps compromised by the sandblasting—weakened the brickwork, and the west-facing windows were boarded. When Judd Foundation turned its attention to the property in 2018, it did so as part of a larger plan to restore Judd’s Marfa buildings, engaging architects Troy Schaum and Rosalyne Shieh to lead the work.

The first phase of restoration focused on the envelope. Alpha Masonry of Winnipeg worked with local contractors to repoint the facade brick by brick. They re-created the raked joint condition Judd had established in his restoration, the design team iterating until achieving a design solution both technically and aesthetically satisfactory. Meanwhile, Marfa-based master carpenter John Antonides rebuilt the exterior windows, storefronts, and doors by hand, updated with energy-efficient glazing but retaining their historic look and operation.

Interior work followed, repairing floors and stabilizing spaces in preparation for the reinstallation of Judd’s furniture and objects. By early 2021, the restoration was nearing completion when the June fire brought progress to a halt.

But with disaster came opportunity. The second restoration campaign began with the recognition that the building could not simply be put back as it was. Instead, it had to be reimagined as both a historic structure and a contemporary system, capable of meeting current demands for preservation and performance.

Because interior elements that had provided lateral support were destroyed, the building was at risk of collapse. Shoring up the brick facade quickly was paramount. Schaum consulted with local general contractors Method Building to determine what they could find quickly in remote West Texas to brace the walls. The answer? Eight-inch drill pipe. Within 24 hours, enough pipe was on-site to stabilize the structure. “You’re used to everything that you do in Marfa, and in construction in general, being very deliberative,” says Schaum. “But this was like we were taking sketches and building at the same time.”

Once stabilized, the envelope was secured again, with recycled denim insulation layered into walls and roof assemblies to improve thermal efficiency. Half the windows were salvaged and the others reconstructed. Inside, floors were replaced with salvaged longleaf pine; new engineered-lumber ledger beams and joists were added. The ceiling was rebuilt with pressed tin made from dies taken from the previous material.

Environmental systems were also rethought. Rather than rely on the extensive mechanical infrastructure typical of museums—an impractical solution in Marfa—the team implemented a passive cooling strategy with Transsolar KlimaEngineering. By drawing in cool nighttime air and flushing interiors in rhythm with the desert’s diurnal cycles, the building maintains stable conditions suitable for the furniture, drawings, and works it houses.

A rooftop solar array offsets annual operational energy use, subtly integrating renewable energy into the historic structure. Historic light fixtures were refurbished and fitted with LED lamps, combining continuity with efficiency. A new white awning was also added after an extensive discussion with the Texas Historical Commission. Peter Stanley, director of operations and preservation for Judd Foundation, explains that while the building had featured awnings at various times—specifically black ones—there were concerns about reintroducing one. When Judd acquired the property, no awning was present, and that was the period that was deemed historically significant. However, the absence of solar protection left the interiors vulnerable. Ultimately, a white awning was installed—intentionally a different color than those used previously—to both safeguard the interiors and clearly distinguish it as non-historic.

On the second floor, the Architecture Apartment was restored with fidelity to Judd’s original installation. Kitchens and bathrooms were discreetly upgraded, maintaining the integrity of the spaces while ensuring durability and comfort. The result feels as it did in Judd’s lifetime but is also better equipped to withstand Marfa’s climate and the demands of public visitation.

On September 20, 2025, Judd Foundation reopened the Architecture Office with a weekend of programs dedicated to Judd’s architectural work. Visitors can once again encounter Judd-designed furniture, models and drawings of his projects, and the Chamberlain paintings and Aalto furniture installed upstairs. The building will also host new public programs and accommodate visiting researchers.

For Marfa, the restoration resurrects a landmark and brings vitality to a 100-foot stretch of its modest downtown. For Judd Foundation, it represents the completion of a long effort to preserve one of 11 Judd-associated Marfa buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. And for the architectural community, it offers a case study in how restraint, resilience, and technical innovation can work together in service of preservation.