Houston/Architecture

Houston isn't the first place you'd think of when it comes to architecture, but there are a few things worth seeing besides the hideous Philip Johnson Postmodern High-rises, the 'Learning from Las Vegas' stripmalls and the pseudo Mexican pueblo-fronted restaurants..

Menil Collection
One of Renzo Piano's earlier works, the Menil Collection is a bright, open space that sits perfectly in its surroundings. The low, concrete structure alludes to the grey colonial-style timber houses that it sits beside in the Montrose-area museum district. The roof louvres were designed by Piano to cope with the hard Texas sunlight. There are internal gardens that allow plants to act as a fresh juxtaposition with the works.

Across the street is the Cy Twombly gallery, also by Piano. It is a nice, simple space that also doesn't try to compete with its surroundings.

The Rothko Chapel isn't terribly exciting, but worth a visit even if you're not a big Mark Rothko fan. Outside is Barnett Newman's Broken Obelisk sculpture which some may have previosuly seen at the new MOMA. The chapel itself is a really serene contrast to the typical Houston experience.

The Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum (which has already been written about) is nearby, and is small and beautiful.

The Museum of Fine Arts is comprised of two main buildings, the Caroline Wiess Law Building and the Audrey Jones Beck Building. The former was partly designed by the infamous Mies van der Rohe, and evokes the clean lines of Chicago's IIT. The two buildings are connected at basement level by James Turrell's The Light Inside (the first of his works that I saw; from then on I was a fan). The MFAH is also interesting because it is a real mix of styles. Round the back you'll see the remains of the original 1920s Classical Revival building.