Rothko Chapel in Houston forced to close due to Hurricane Beryl damage

Hurricane Beryl has forced the indefinite closure of the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas, after causing structural damage and water infiltration that affected three of Mark Rothko's fourteen mural paintings. The storm hit Texas on July 8, 2024, killing three people and causing widespread flooding and power outages. Water seeped through the roof and walls, damaging the Color Field paintings created by Rothko in the 1960s for the non-denominational chapel founded by collectors John and Dominique de Menil. The chapel had only recently reopened in 2021 after a $30 million restoration completed by Architecture Research Office and George Sexton Associates, which focused on structural analysis, security upgrades, and lighting improvements. The new damage requires urgent repairs, with costs yet to be estimated; Whitten & Proctor Fine Art Conservation is assessing the work needed. Director David Leslie stated the priority is restoring the chapel and securing the Rothko paintings. The non-profit managing the chapel had just received a $1 million donation for expansion and conservation projects under the Opening Spaces plan, which includes an archive and meditation garden by 2026 at a cost of $42 million. Those funds will now support emergency interventions. The chapel, designed by architects Philip Johnson, Howard Barnstone, and Eugene Aubry, also features Barnett Newman's Broken Obelisk honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Fall programming will be relocated to other city venues.