In 1968, Judd purchased 101 Spring Street, a five story cast-iron building located at the corner of Spring Street and Mercer Street in New York City. Designed by Nicholas Whyte and constructed in 1870, it was the first building Judd owned and served as his New York residence and studio.
101 Spring Street is considered to be where Judd first developed the concept of permanent installation. Centered on the belief that the placement of a work of art was as critical to its understanding as the work itself, Judd’s first applications of this idea were realized in his installation of works throughout 101 Spring Street and later in Marfa, Texas. Judd’s installations of artworks, furniture, and decorative objects strike a balance between respect for the historic nature of the landmark cast-iron building and his approach to architecture and design.
101 Spring Street is a contributing building to the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.
The works on view at 101 Spring Street remain as installed by Judd. Throughout his writings, Judd identifies the installation of 101 Spring Street as the source of permanent installation as a practice. In his 1989 essay, ‘101 Spring Street,’ he wrote: “I spent a great deal of time placing the art and a great deal designing the renovation in accordance. Everything from the first was intended to be thoroughly considered and to be permanent.”
In the early 1990s, Donald Judd sought the advice of engineers and architects to address the façade of 101 Spring Street, though at that time the restoration proved too costly for him to realize. In May 2013, Judd Foundation completed a historic restoration of 101 Spring Street, which opened to the public in June 2013.
Donald Judd
Judd Foundation