Description:
The Marfa High Desert View House is located in a unique microclimate. Marfa is on a plateau nestled between the Fort Davis and Chinati Mountain ranges and usually enjoys spectacular cloud formations and sunsets as a result. The quarter-acre property is at the north edge of the city limits with an unobstructed view of the Fort Davis Mountains. Its northern (front) property line is opposite the nonprofit Dixon Water Foundation (formerly the Mimms Ranch), which converted the historic Texas ranch into a nonprofit that researches sustainable ranching methods. This view of grasslands and foothills can never be developed. There is one contiguous neighbor to the south (back side of the house), a street to the east and an unused four-acre field to the west. A dirt road on the north side of the property named Fifth Street is not formally in use but is a locally favorite path for dog walkers and cyclists. The American Society of Architects-designed home was inspired by artist Donald Judd and architect Luis Barragan, utilizing the former's passion for rectangles and the latter's for cross-axis lines of sight that were achieved through strategic placement of clerestory windows. These windows are utilized on all four sides of the house with a total of 26 glass windows and doors to maximize natural light in the house and views to the north and east. The sole bedroom has an attached bathroom and closet; the back hall features a "mud" entrance, washer / dryer and beverage refrigerator as well as access to a half bath. The remainder of the interior is given over to a great room consisting of the kitchen, dining area and living area that ends at a floor to ceiling Indonesian birchwood "TV wall" with an electric fireplace. The birchwood is repeated on the face of the kitchen island and the backsplash. Both sides of the living room are flanked by nooks in which sofas, benches or rectangular tables can be nestled. A 1,000 sf outdoor patio has privacy motorized shades that allow it to be converted to an additional room at will, providing an intimate lounging or dining space that feels particularly special at night. There are two other structures on the property, a carport off the street that is open on three sides. It has two parking spaces and a three-sided work / storage space with no security. There is a stepping stone sidewalk leading from the carport to the house. On the western fence line, a 100SF pipe shed clad in corrugated tin is considered "authentic Marfa" and has generated unsolicited offers to buy it. Landscaping is minimal in keeping with the home design and desert theme. Young trees provide a privacy screen between Gonzales Street to the east and the front edge of the home so occupants can sit outside the sliding glass doors without being seen by passersby. A deep swath of gravel surrounds the house on all four sides, and a young butterfly garden with native grasses occupies the northeastern edge of the lot.

Permit: 1