Editorial: At 50 years old, Rothko Chapel still mystifies and reveals Houston FacebookTwitterEmail Interior of the Rothko Chapel with new skylight. The chapel reopened after a 18-month renovation in Oct. 2020. It celebrated its 50th anniversary in February 2021. Photo courtesy of the Rothko Chapel.Paul Hester, Photographer When you first enter the Rothko Chapel, the 14 nearly black paintings hung in the octagonal room are mystifying. It’s dark, quiet and somber. What is the point? What kind of chapel has no cross or candles or altar? That mystery is worth experiencing in person. The chapel, which turned 50 last weekend, was born at a time of turmoil — the Vietnam War, protests for racial justice, political division — that is all too familiar today. If you have ever wondered how Houston manages to hold itself together with its bubbling stew of peoples, the Rothko is one answer.