fort d. a. russell

This is a complex that has been a part of Fort D.A. Russell and housed the officer’s club. In World War II it housed prisoners of war of the African army of Rommel. In a couple of rooms two of them (R. Hampel and Hans Jurgen Press) painted some beautiful murals, inspired by the great landscapes surrounding Marfa. It’s impressive to see the rural scenes on the walls, very real. Nowadays the historic buildings are owned by the International Woman’s Foundation. The opening hours vary, it’s best to call before you visit but we went just to hope someone was there and we were lucky the 2nd time (1st time was around lunchtime, we were staying at the Paisano so close by). The very friendly and charming lady who was our guide happened to be the president of the Foundation, Mrs. Mona Blocker Garcia. She was very nice and had lots of fascinating stories about the buildings. She lead us all through the buildings and we were allowed to take photographs, also of the really impressive murals. Also fascinating is that General Patton visited the fort and stayed there, we saw the bar and the spot where he used to stand, like I said a lot of history there. We want to thank Mona for her hospitality and her time to tour us through and around the buildings. It was really an experience I didn’t want to miss and we’re glad that the buildings now will be preserved with those beautiful rooms and murals within the buildings.

We started in the Sleeping Lion State Park above the Fort and hiked on a great trail first built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The views were wonderful and we appreciated even more the hardships these brave soldiers faced in the nineteenth century!!

We visited Building 98 for the opening of an exhibit titled “Degrees of Separation”, an international collaboration. Four each photographers, artists and writers from Louisiana, four of each from France, were selected to contribute, and to interact with and respond to each others' works. It's hard to describe but well worth seeing. (Full disclosure: our daughter is one of the writers.) The exhibit will be on display Oct. 5 - Dec. 13, 2014. There are other exhibits, too. The historic building itself is interesting, and is being restored by The International Woman's Foundation.

Stopped by building 98 before the chinati foundation and found that the courtyard was filled with tents. The bulding was being used to house transient artists, A few of whom were smoking dope (also baking) in a windowless van parked out front. Most were nice people but one guy was very irritated that we were intruding on his historic building/campsite and followed us around shutting the doors behind us. The mix of foreign artists, drugs, and an old cavalry fort made for a bizarre experience, but in retrospect it was hilarious. The murals were interesting, and don't miss the bar to the left of the entrance. George S. Patton used to hang out there when he was passing through.

The place is tranquil and interesting. Wifi, kitchen & laundry is available to guests. Proprietor is friendly and informative of the history & highlights of the building and Marfa. Very clean and comfortable in all seasons. Walking or biking distance to all of Marfa.

The only known instance of murals by German POWs during WWII. Very interesting.

On a recent road trip across West Texas, I stopped at Marfa for the night. Of course, the Chinati Foundation was at the top of my list to visit, but we stayed at the Arcon Inn and met Mona. She offered to open her foundation building, Building 98, that was the officer's club during WWII. This was really a highlight of the trip! During WWII, German POWs painting murals in the rooms. Quite Amazing. Don't pass up the chance to visit.

Building 98 is not run by the Chinati Foundation. It is managed by the owners of Building 98