bachanon Posted April 4, 2005 Share Posted April 4, 2005 i went by the menil and rothko chapel yesterday and the broken obelisk in the reflecting pool in front of rothko is gone. anybody know what's up? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowbrow Posted April 4, 2005 Share Posted April 4, 2005 It is down for maintenance for a few more months. I know its been down since at least last september. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted April 4, 2005 Author Share Posted April 4, 2005 guess i owe penance for my lack of attendance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quirkmiter Posted April 6, 2005 Share Posted April 6, 2005 i went by the menil and rothko chapel yesterday and the broken obelisk in the reflecting pool in front of rothko is gone. anybody know what's up?<{POST_SNAPBACK}>The pool bottom was deteriorating and no longer allowed the water to reflect the obelisk very well. THe base of the obelisk was never really designed for immersion, and the base was corroding severely.The pumps were located very far away and required excessive HP to overcome friction loss as well as other problems with control. The velocity of the supply jets was interfering with the smoothness of the surface, further reducing the reflective quality of the water. The lighting was obtrusive, consisting of loose fixtures set on the bottom with exposed wires. The list was extensive.The base, plumbing, pool, planting, irrigation, paving, and edge will be completely renovated in a couple of months. All of this work required the removal of the obelisk. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowbrow Posted April 6, 2005 Share Posted April 6, 2005 Now that is information. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted January 16, 2006 Author Share Posted January 16, 2006 MLK MEMORIALBroken Obelisk battle-bornSculpture once rejected by City Hall is getting restored and rededicatedBy LISA GRAYCopyright 2006 Houston Chronicle On Thursday a crane lowered Broken Obelisk, one of the city's best-known sculptures, back into its reflecting pool in front of the Rothko Chapel, and tomorrow or Wednesday, conservators expect to finish their 18-month restoration project. But today, on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the rusty, elegant sculpture once again stands as a reminder that much of Houston once considered King to be more a rabble-rouser than a saint.link 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowbrow Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 Excellent. That is just a few hundred feet from my front door. I'll have to go give it a look see now that it is back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestGrayGuy Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 Quirkmiter:Spoken like a true engineer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 The pool bottom was deteriorating and no longer allowed the water to reflect the obelisk very well. THe base of the obelisk was never really designed for immersion, and the base was corroding severely.The pumps were located very far away and required excessive HP to overcome friction loss as well as other problems with control. The velocity of the supply jets was interfering with the smoothness of the surface, further reducing the reflective quality of the water. The lighting was obtrusive, consisting of loose fixtures set on the bottom with exposed wires. The list was extensive.The base, plumbing, pool, planting, irrigation, paving, and edge will be completely renovated in a couple of months. All of this work required the removal of the obelisk.That's what you get for using our Yummy and nutrient rich Houston tap water. DRINK UP ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texas911 Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 Actually the obelisk was in dire need of repair also. It is a total make over. To bad they couldn't coincide the re-dedication with MLK day. BTW, I saw the broken obelisk in New York City as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 The Obelisk Formerly Known As Broken 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 According to The New York Times (Oct. 22, 2006), a new 20 foot-tall, 37-foot wide sculpture "constructed out of fiberglass, pulverized marble and lime cement" is to be installed on Nov. 12. The artist. Michael Somoroff. describes it as "a sculptural translation of light as it moves across the chapel." (Pictures of Illumination I can be seen on the artist's website.)If I'm understanding this correctly, it will be installed inside of the chapel. Wonder how they'll shoehorn it in there? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torvald Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 (edited) If I'm understanding this correctly, it will be installed inside of the chapel. Wonder how they'll shoehorn it in there?i may be totally out of line but i think the chapel is fine how it is. i've been going there for years. the one thing that is very moving for me is that the meditative space remains the same as everything else outside of it changes. if installed inside i'm not sure how they could still have weddings and funerals there. Edited October 23, 2006 by torvald Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 according to the plat on his website, it appears to be going outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torvald Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 (edited) according to the plat on his website, it appears to be going outside.then i wonder how long before it is tagged?i think the only thing saving the current sculpture is that it is surrounded by water. Edited October 23, 2006 by torvald Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmainguy Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 According to The New York Times (Oct. 22, 2006), a new 20 foot-tall, 37-foot wide sculpture "constructed out of fiberglass, pulverized marble and lime cement" is to be installed on Nov. 12. The artist. Michael Somoroff. describes it as "a sculptural translation of light as it moves across the chapel." (Pictures of Illumination I can be seen on the artist's website.)If I'm understanding this correctly, it will be installed inside of the chapel. Wonder how they'll shoehorn it in there?It's going to be on the east side of the chapel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feufoma Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 It's interesting that the NYT reported this but our local joke of a paper didn't take the time to include it amongst the teen beat and news wire reports. What a city... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 according to the plat on his website, it appears to be going outside.You're right. According to the Rothko Chapel website, it will be just east of the chapel. torvald, I'm hoping the security force can keep it free from tagging, but I wouldn't take bets either way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 You're right. According to the Rothko Chapel website, it will be just east of the chapel. torvald, I'm hoping the security force can keep it free from tagging, but I wouldn't take bets either way.Do they ever have problems at the Cullen Sculpture Garden? I'd hope people have a little respect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torvald Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 Do they ever have problems at the Cullen Sculpture Garden? I'd hope people have a little respect.there is night security at the cullen sculpture garden. i have seen some of the sculptures near the menil tagged... forgive me , i don't know what they're called... the geometric ones in the park there.plus, tagging is all about disrespect and public damage. you can reference some of the graffiti threads on this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 there is night security at the cullen sculpture garden. i have seen some of the sculptures near the menil tagged... forgive me , i don't know what they're called... the geometric ones in the park there.plus, tagging is all about disrespect and public damage. you can reference some of the graffiti threads on this forum.i guess i have a little faith that they would choose targets like a bus stop or street light control box instead. in the 90's the grinders made it rough for us by grinding on marble, limestone, etc on downtown building causing it to chip off. Some of the old timers made it rough for them by beating em up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torvald Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 (edited) i guess i have a little faith that they would choose targets like a bus stop or street light control box instead.sadly, from experience, i don't. they'll tag those things but they also tag old buildings, murals (like the one at mary's), the red ball finials on the new 59 bridges, shop windows, the menil sculptures... just look at the sears building on allen parkway.also:Taggin is all about fame. Like when NEXT won the houston press award for best Houston tagger his fame level shot up. Or when "REBS" and "RITE" got on the news for taggin all the freeway signs and causin 10s of thousands of dollars worth of damage, their fame level shot up. And if you remember what rebs tag looked like, you'll see you don't need a lot of skill to get a lot of fame. Taggin is about gettin your piece on a 150 foot tall billboard. . . Edited October 23, 2006 by torvald Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 At least it will (temporarily) offer the bums a semi-private place to urinate. Hopefully, the Philip Johnson project will be completed and pee-able before this sculpture is removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamtagon Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 I think the new sculpture is going to make the best art setting experience in Texas even better. Before the Nasher Collection was committed to the Dallas Arts District, I was kinda hoping it would make a home in the Fort Worth Cultural District, that the park next to the Kimball is perfect for a sculpture garden. A Nasher annex in Fort Worth is still on my wish list.The park with the Rothko Chapel is just about my favorite place in Texas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkingMan Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 then i wonder how long before it is tagged?Have you ever seen the other Menil sculptures -- the ones outdoors -- tagged? (I haven't.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Barnet Newman's 'Broken Oblisk', in the plaza pool in front of the Rothko Chapel, was defaced with a swastika several years ago. It has since been completely refurbished and resealed and is back in place. This sculpture, which is arguably Houston's most controversial and artistically important outdoor expression, was dedicated to MLK and its defacement was a crude political act and not an ordinary 'tagging' if that word can be used at all.The new sculpture seems a little wayward to me. It seems too close to the building. The back appeals to me more than the front where a large, vagina-like appendage spills forth above the entrance to the cave. It is somewhat more magical at night. I think I will like this sculpture over time but at the moment I'm feeling a little squimish about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshuajbp Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 This sculpture, which is arguably Houston's most controversial and artistically important outdoor expression, was dedicated to MLK and its defacement was a crude political act and not an ordinary 'tagging' if that word can be used at all.i just need to say that dedicating that sculpture to MLK was a joke! Could we commision a sculpture specifically for him & not just rename an old one. Seems kinda disrespectful 2 me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 I dont' think that Broken Obelisk was was rededicated to MLK. It was made specifically as a memorial to him - far from disrespectful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 I dont' think that Broken Obelisk was was rededicated to MLK. It was made specifically as a memorial to him - far from disrespectful.That had always been my impression, too. Hair splitting seems to be in order. While Broken Obelisk was not constructed as a memorial to Dr. King, it had not been dedicated in any way until after Dr. King's assassination; "rededicated" doesn't apply.In my opinion it's a fitting tribute. That Barnett Newman probably didn't have Dr. King in mind at the project's conception doesn't negate its appropriateness.From the MOMA Learning website:The idea for Broken Obelisk (an obelisk is a tall, four-sided structure that comes to a pyramidlike point) came to Newman in 1963, but he was unable to create the work until he was introduced to a steel manufacturer in 1967. In 1968 Newman dedicated Broken Obelisk to the civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., who was assassinated that same year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenH Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 The Rothko Chapel and assorted pieces by Rothko from the Menil collection will be featured tonight on Simon Schama's "Power of Art" episode about Mark Rothko. Show starts at 10 pm on KUHT. Mies' Seagram building and Philip Johnson's Four Seasons restaurant are also heavily featured. If you can, watch it in high def. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 The Rothko Chapel and assorted pieces by Rothko from the Menil collection will be featured tonight on Simon Schama's "Power of Art" episode about Mark Rothko. Show starts at 10 pm on KUHT. Mies' Seagram building and Philip Johnson's Four Seasons restaurant are also heavily featured. If you can, watch it in high def.Was it broadcast in HD? I think they're in the middle of a switchover/consolidation at the station, and they're broadcasting the same signal from their HD digital and analog transmitters. I recorded this show from the HD channel, and about 2 seconds in it downconverted from HD to SD.Not a lot of coverage of the Chapel or Houston. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 (edited) Was it broadcast in HD? I think they're in the middle of a switchover/consolidation at the station, and they're broadcasting the same signal from their HD digital and analog transmitters. I recorded this show from the HD channel, and about 2 seconds in it downconverted from HD to SD.over the air they have 3 independent feeds. the hd one, the sd one and the spanish one. are you getting it from satellite/cable? Edited August 1, 2007 by musicman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenH Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Was it broadcast in HD? I think they're in the middle of a switchover/consolidation at the station, and they're broadcasting the same signal from their HD digital and analog transmitters. I recorded this show from the HD channel, and about 2 seconds in it downconverted from HD to SD.Not a lot of coverage of the Chapel or Houston.We watched it in HD. You're right, not much coverage about the Rothko, but that wasn't the focus of the show; the Seagram paintings were. Funny, I was initially peeved that they didn't mention Barnstone & Aubrey, but it wasn't really needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 over the air they have 3 independent feeds. the hd one, the sd one and the spanish one. are you getting it from satellite/cable?Yes. Bastards at the cable company.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 I went to this today and did not expect what I saw at all. But I understand it I think, so it was cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmat Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Went back this past weekend. Still cool, but I don't agree.It's existentialistic. I don't believe in that. But it's still a nice place to go to if you like the peace and quiet. Plus, I like to giggle at the perplexed people who walk in and out in two minutes. I'll revisit in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arche787 Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 I used to always comment on "old" topics - I suppose this is installed (I was in the neighborhood yesterday and today and had no idea a new sculpture had been installed)? I have to wonder though if the artist was really looking at the surrounding neighborhood when they designed the artwork? It seems like it could easilly be out of place - but I will reserve judgement until I see it later this week. Nice to see that atleast the New York Times keeps up with our arts "scene". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougarbrent Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 interestingly the broken obleisk sculpture was first exhibited in New York city in front of the Seagrams building before the Menils brought it to HOuston. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 interestingly the broken obleisk sculpture was first exhibited in New York city in front of the Seagrams building before the Menils brought it to HOuston.But before it came to Houston, it was at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington DC too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 interestingly the broken obleisk sculpture was first exhibited in New York city in front of the Seagrams building before the Menils brought it to HOuston.As I recall it was offered to Houston's City Hall, but City Hall had a problem with it being dedicated to Martin Luther King so it ended up at Rothko. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Rothko, originally uploaded by Highway6. Highway6 does a great job capturing the colors, intentional and otherwise, projected by the Rothko Chapel.Highway6 posted this picture in the HAIF Photo Pool on Flickr. You can add you photos to the group. Just click here: HAIF Houston Photo Pool on Flickr . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Rothko, originally uploaded by Highway6. Highway6 does a great job capturing the colors, intentional and otherwise, projected by the Rothko Chapel.Highway6 posted this picture in the HAIF Photo Pool on Flickr. You can add you photos to the group. Just click here: HAIF Houston Photo Pool on Flickr . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted June 26, 2009 Author Share Posted June 26, 2009 phenomenal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highway6 Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 phenomenal.thank you, kind sir.while it's debatable how "hidden" a gem rothko is, i currently intend this to be one of my 3 entrants for the new 600 sqmi.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Otto Mation) Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 dangr.dave has added a photo to the pool: DSC_9825 Click here to view this photo at the HAIF Photo Pool on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
102IAHexpress Posted February 27, 2019 Share Posted February 27, 2019 Not sure if this belongs here. Mods can move if you want. Saw this in today's WSJ. Renovations on the Rothko Chapel. Quote Houston’s Rothko Chapel, the final masterpiece of one of 20th-century America’s most recognized artists, hasn’t led an easy existence. For a place meant to help visitors transcend their earthly travails, it has faced many. Mark Rothko died by suicide a year before the chapel opened in 1971, leaving his family and supporters to decide how best to foster his legacy in the face of the building’s subsidence, the city’s harsh sunlight, and humidity’s toll on his works. In the latest and most ambitious effort to finally get it right, the ecumenical chapel is closing on Monday for renovation and expansion ahead of its 50th anniversary in 2021. The octagonal building, commissioned in the mid-1960s by Houston’s de Menil family, was designed as part of a total work with Rothko’s 14 enormous panels, in black and dark plum, to invoke a spirit of transcendence. That was always a delicate enterprise, and the aim of the current $30 million project is to do it better.... Full article with some cool pictures... https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-push-to-preserve-a-rothko-masterpiece-11551283796 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 I've looked everywhere on this site for a post about this, but haven't been able to find anything. With this being one of the more important monuments in the city I feel this should be in going up. From the HoustonChronicle: Quote Neighbors in the Menil enclave were surprised and dismayed Monday to see one of the Houston neighborhood’s famous gray bungalows being dismantled by a reclamation crew. That building and several around it are owned by the Rothko Chapel, whose board has launched a multi-phase, $30 million campaign to better define its two-acre campus and improve visitor experiences to the legendary sacred space, one of the world’s most important public art sites. Construction begins early next year on the first of three new buildings on Sul Ross; and the chapel will be closed for major renovations during much of next year, beginning March 4. Read more about which homes will be removed, what will take their place and how these renovations could affect how you see the Chapel’s famous art at houstonchronicle.com. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/life/article/Why-will-the-Rothko-Chapel-be-closed-for-much-of-13455462.php#photo-16627134 Architecture Research Office (ARO) is the Architect. Another article from Texas Architect: https://txamagazine.org/2017/01/06/aro-working-renovation-master-plan-houstons-rothko-chapel/ Quote To better serve as a venue for large groups, the chapel’s board, which is chaired by Rothko’s son, Christopher Rothko, decided it was time for an update. “Their mission really encompasses both contemplation, which is the experience of being within the chapel, and action,” says Adam Yarinsky, FAIA, ARO principal and co-founder. “The impetus behind the project comes from trying to strengthen both of those aspects behind their mission. There has always been an issue with light levels within the chapel and creating better control of daylight within the space, so that’s [one] goal.” In addition to improving the lighting, ARO will upgrade interior acoustics, address aesthetic differences between the walls and ceiling, and update weatherproofing and security systems. A new structure on the site will accommodate guest services, conferences, meetings, administrative spaces, and guest housing for visiting artists and scholars — leaving the chapel itself as a quiet, contemplative space. “The goal is to preserve an experience,” Yarinsky says. “Any adjustments made must be very carefully considered so you’re not changing any quality the chapel has now.” The Rothko Chapel master plan pdf: http://rothkochapel.org/assets/pdfs/2017_annualreport.pdf Work has commenced on this project as promised in the Chron article. I work around the block and live a few blocks away, so I'll keep this one updated as it rises. workers on site work starting on the interior. construction fences have gone up all around the park. The two bungalows across the street have been demoed. The bungalows on the chapel side have not been demoed yet. They will be demoed when the admin building is complete. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 Like every museum in America, they need to expand and junk the place up with extraneous peripheral crap. "guest services, conferences, meetings, administrative spaces, and guest housing for visiting artists and scholars" It's never enough just to have the simple, original building. What are all these conferences and meetings that they didn't have the previous fifty years? How much administrative space does a single-room chapel need? Guest services? Other than a toilet and a coat rack? Could none of these have been done in the existing bungalows? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naviguessor Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Lighten up, Francis. This is a good thing. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strickn Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 (edited) I imagine among the priorities on the list, they just couldn't stand the popcorn ceiling. Not hifalutin enough for their Houston on the world stage. I think it grounds the proceedings more than a timely attempt to be timeless does. That way, unlike the classy new Drawing Institute, they aren't trying so hard to out-Architecture the current anodyne institutional fashion in Los Angeles. Edited March 5, 2019 by strickn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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