The Chinati Foundation, former Fort D.A. Russell, Marfa, Texas, United States
About this story
The Chinati Foundation will comprehensively restore two 1939 U.S. Army mechanical-work buildings adapted by Donald Judd between 1980 and 1986 to house his 100 untitled works in mill aluminum. All artworks will be documented and temporarily moved for the first time since their original installation. Planned work includes redesigned roof drainage, repaired gutters, more than 10,000 square feet of high-performance replacement glazing that retains Judd’s quartered-window design, discreet low-energy environmental systems, brick and concrete repairs, accessible pathways, grading, bioswales, rainwater storage, fire-protection improvements and native-grass restoration. The project follows the site’s 2025 inclusion in the expanded Donald Judd Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.
Status and timeline
A multi-year restoration has been announced. The Artillery Sheds and their installed artworks will close during construction, but an exact closure or construction-start date has not been published. Chinati Weekend, October 9–11, 2026, will be among the final opportunities to see the installation before work begins.
Design highlights
Preserving Judd’s calibrated relationship among artwork, architecture, daylight and desert; invisible environmental control; retention of curved roof forms; high-performance glazing matching the original visual organization; landscape-based water management; reversible conservation planning and exact return of every artwork to its original position.
Important dates
· final pre restoration viewing opportunity begins; Chinati Weekend runs through October 11 · Details
