A new contemplative space advancing the Chapel’s Opening Spaces campus expansion

This new peace and reflection garden extends that invitation outward — a place where silence becomes a shared language, and where reflection can blossom into hope.”
— Abdullah Antepli

HOUSTON, TX, UNITED STATES, November 14, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Rothko Chapel will dedicate the Kathleen and Chuck Mullenweg Peace and Reflection Garden, a contemplative outdoor space designed to foster stillness, renewal, and connection as part of the Chapel’s ongoing Opening Spaces campus expansion — a transformative $51 million project advancing the Chapel’s mission at the intersection of art, spirituality, and human rights. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place on Friday, November 14, 2025, marking another milestone in the Chapel’s multi-phase growth.

For over five decades, the Rothko Chapel has stood as a sanctuary for the human spirit — a place where art and activism, silence and solidarity, contemplation and conscience meet. In this next chapter, the Chapel recommits itself to its founding vision: to serve as a beacon of hope and dialogue in an increasingly divided world.

“Few places in the world embody the marriage of the sacred and the civic as profoundly as the Rothko Chapel,” said Abdullah Antepli, President of the Rothko Chapel. “This new peace and reflection garden extends that invitation outward — a place where silence becomes a shared language, and where reflection can blossom into hope.”

Designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (NBW), the Mullenweg Peace and Reflection Garden offers a serene, minimalist environment for quiet contemplation and connection to the Chapel’s iconic interior. Translating the meditative stillness of the Chapel into dialogue with light, sky, and the elements, the Garden deepens the visitor experience, inviting a slower rhythm and renewed sense of presence.

While more architectural than verdant, the Mullenweg Peace and Reflection Garden underscore a growing body of research showing the restorative benefits of time spent outdoors. Studies by Harvard Health, the American Psychological Association, and Yale’s School of the Environment have found that even brief exposure to tranquil outdoor spaces can reduce stress, lower heart rate, and blood pressure, and improve mental clarity and emotional well-being. The new garden invites visitors to slow down, breathe, and reconnect with the present moment — an increasingly vital practice in today’s fast-paced world.

The dedication ceremony will feature remarks by Christopher Rothko, Chair of the Rothko Chapel Capital Campaign; Matt Mullenweg, Houston native, philanthropist, Co-founder of WordPress and Founder & CEO of Automattic (the company behind WordPress.com, Tumblr, Day One, Pocket Casts, WooCommerce, and Beeper); Lanie McKinnon, Principal at Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (NBWLA); Adam Yarinsky, Principal of Architecture Research Office (ARO), Troy Porter, Rothko Chapel Board Chair; Council Member Abbie Kamin; and Abdullah Antepli, President of the Rothko Chapel.

“The Rothko Chapel has long stood as a place of stillness, courage, and creative freedom,” said Matt Mullenweg. “This garden is a continuation of that legacy — a place where people can pause, reflect, and reconnect with what unites us.”

The Peace and Reflection Garden is part of the Chapel’s broader Opening Spaces initiative, a multi-phase campus expansion that followed the full restoration of the Rothko Chapel. The initiative enhances the visitor experience and expands the Chapel’s capacity to foster dialogue on spirituality, human rights, and social justice.

To date, the Chapel has raised $38 million toward its $51 million campaign goal. These funds have made possible the completion of the new Administration and Archives Building and the Kathleen and Chuck Mullenweg Peace and Reflection Garden, while supporting continued efforts to enhance the Chapel’s campus, programming, and long-term sustainability.

Open daily to the public during Chapel hours, the Kathleen and Chuck Mullenweg Peace and Reflection Garden stand as a living invitation to stillness — a space where art, landscape, and moral imagination meet to renew the spirit of all who enter. For more information about visiting or supporting the Opening Spaces campaign, visit www.rothkochapel.org.

The broader Opening Spaces expansion, led by Architecture Research Office (ARO), includes the recently completed Administrative and Archives Building and the earlier Welcome House — both part of a master plan to expand the Chapel’s capacity for public programs, visitor engagement, and staff collaboration.

Will Davison
Rothko Chapel
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