The Hill

Nestled in the plains of West Texas, the renowned American Artist, James Magee, has been working on a large-scale art installation known simply as The Hill. 

Found on 2,000 acres of desert in Cornudas—roughly 70 miles outside of El Paso—stands four identically constructed buildings connected by causeways. Each building is an estimated 40 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 17 feet high and made entirely of irregularly cut shale rock. These sister buildings collectively form The Hill, and is a testament to the ingenious engineering and artistic skill of James Magee.

Each of the buildings that make up The Hill feature an iron portal that marks the entrance to each structure. At eight feet wide and 17 feet in height, the portals turn on hinges, proving yet another nod to Magee’s incredible architectural design. 

The Hill is surrounded by idyllic Texan landscape, proving almost untouched and uninterrupted by time. The four buildings are laid out in a “cruciform plan,” according to the Magee’s project page, with each door facing each other. 

While the buildings do house artwork and altars, what makes The Hill impressive is its unique design and environment. Best described in Magee’s own words, “The Hill is a profoundly original work of art; nothing like it exists anywhere else. Of the land, but not land art, sculptural but not sculpture, its closest analogs are the relief-adorned temples of southern India or Mesoamerica, and it is as isolated, improbable, and mysterious as they.”