Rothko Chapel to Undergo Restoration and Enhancement

The leadership of the Rothko Chapel in Houston, TX, has announced the start of a year-long construction project that will include the restoration of the historic Rothko Chapel. This represents the first step in the implementation of the Opening Spaces master plan for the Rothko Chapel. The multi-year project will enhance the visitor experience in the Chapel and on its grounds, while developing a campus that offers visitors new experiences, programs and expanded education offerings in harmony with the original vision of Mark Rothko and John and Dominique de Menil, the Chapel’s founders. 

Rothko Chapel will close on March 4, 2019 through the end of 2019, while it undergoes a comprehensive restoration. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Rothko Chapel is one of the world’s most celebrated sacred spaces. The Chapel is defined by its 14 monumental Mark Rothko canvases that invite spiritual contemplation and engagement regardless of faith, spiritual or religious background. 

The Chapel was created to be a space for ecumenical and interfaith celebration and contemplation, as well as a place for community engagement on critical social issues. Cherished by both art lovers and those seeking a place of stillness and reflection, the Chapel welcomes more than 100,000 visitors from more than 100 countries each year.  

David Leslie, Executive Director of the Rothko Chapel, reflected, “The Rothko Chapel is the result of John and Dominique de Menil’s philanthropy and care for the world. This project will carry that attitude into the future by restoring the sense of spirituality and contemplation to the Chapel itself and preserving the Rothko paintings, while also allowing us to convene community leaders and members of the public to wrestle with the questions of social justice and human rights.  We have never had the room that we need to fulfill the duality of our mission. The Opening Spaces vision is not only about expanded spaces that can welcome more visitors to our campus, but one of richer experiences of the art, contemplation and the type of community engagement embedded in the Chapel’s mission that brings people together across the many boundaries that separate us.”

Read more about the announcement in (opens in a new window) The New York Times and the (opens in a new window) Wall Street Journal.