Now What?

The painstaking process of saying goodbye to the Byzantine frescoes: Roof's offand the art is gone

Via crane, the dome is the first of the two frescoes out of the building.
Photo by Clifford Pugh
Francois de Menil poses with the frescoes for one of the last images of the13th-century artifacts inside their Texas home.
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
The frescoes and their glass chapel display hand independent from the building'sstructure, making removal safe and relatively easy.
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
Workers reveal a network of metal tracks, winches and pullies that hasn't beenused since the frescoes were installed in the late 1990s.
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com

And then they were gone . . .

After nearly two decades in Houston, Menil officials oversaw the careful removal of two of the city's most storied artifacts — the 13th century artworks at the Byzantine Fresco Chapel.

On Tuesday, workers detached sections of the building's ceiling to reveal a network of metal tracks, winches and pullies that hasn't been used since the frescoes were installed in 1997 when the chapel opened to the public. By early Wednesday afternoon, both pieces were craned out of the chapel to begin their journey back to the Mediterranean.

"The building was designed with the ability to install and remove the frescoes easily," said Francois de Menil, the chapel's architect. "The works themselves hang independently from the structure. They're positioned into place by rods and an overhead gantry system."

"We always hoped the loan would be extended, but we certainly accept that it isn't," said Francois de Menil. "In the end, the whole arc of the project is profoundly uplifting."

For the man who created a Texas home for the rare artworks, the departure of the frescoes must be bittersweet. The architect was still early in his design career when he worked with his mother, Menil Collection founder Dominique de Menil, to create a building that honored the frescoes' remarkable past while making them accessible and relevant to a new American audience.

"We always hoped the loan would be extended, but we certainly accept that it isn't," de Menil told CultureMap. "In the end, the whole arc of the project is profoundly uplifting . . . These frescoes are like rock stars now.

"They've gone through this process that's exemplary of how to address issues of cultural heritage."

The frescoes were painted for a small chapel in the Cypriot village of Lysi that Francois de Menil described as "practically abandoned" when thieves haphazardly removed the Byzantine works in the early 1980s. The Menil Foundation arranged to save the delicate pieces from the black market and fully restore them in exchange for a long-term loan from the frescoes' rightful owners, the Orthodox Church of Cyprus.

By the end of the 1990s, the Byzantine Fresco Chapel was an integral part of the Menil campus and a testament to the organization's mission.

"My mother always felt that a strict museum display would omit an important and intangible quality found in the artwork," he said. "They were painted for a spiritual function."

"Whi le much of the building was derived from the frescoes and the glass chapel inside," de Menil noted, "it still has a lot of possibilities."

But with the art gone, their purpose-built chapel is left behind.

"While much of the building was derived from the frescoes and the glass chapel inside, it still has a lot of possibilities," de Menil said, suggesting that the rather theatrical interior space still demands a second life. "It could be a kind of experimental annex to the museum with new media and different types of artwork than may not be conducive to the museum setting."

The architect mentioned the Tate Modern as a point of comparison. "That building was designed for a power turbine," he said. "They weren't thinking at the time that it was ever going to become a museum. We weren't thinking that far ahead either."

He said the chapel will always maintain a unique "aura" or "spiritual and reflective quality," even without the frescoes and their iconic glass display.

"Ultimately, I think the space will lend itself to a variety of other uses, but we're only just working that out now."

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Mags Move In

Shuttered Houston magazine stand finds new home at Austin coffee shop

Tomo Mags bus outside of brick-and-mortar Austin store

Photo courtesy of the Downtown Austin Alliance

Tomo Mags is driving into a new era.

Austin's roaming newsstand Tomo Mags — which sells books out of a signature blue bus — is moving up in the world. Its new brick-and-mortar bookstore and partner coffee shop, Cielito Lindo, are celebrating their grand opening Thursday, January 22, at 411 Brazos Street, #101. A ribbon-cutting ceremony from 10-11 am with the Downtown Austin Alliance and the Austin Chamber of Commerce will mark the occasion.

Tomo Mags started in 2015 in Houston, on a decommissioned school bus. Founder Vico Puentes hit the ground running — or driving — visiting shopping centers, galleries, universities, cafés, and more. It toted artsy independent magazines about fashion, photography, design, erotica, and even some comparatively normie selections like The Economist and New York Magazine.

The journey so far has included an earlier stationary space that later closed (and another one that reopened), a pause for several years, and a "bittersweet" move to Austin in 2025.

Tomo Mags Austin interior The collection has a lot more room to expand in this new space.Photo courtesy of the Downtown Austin Alliance

The new shop offers more of the same: a wide selection of magazines and art books alongside studio tools like pens and notebooks, merch, and fashionable accessories. It's been in a soft-opening phase since mid-December. Cielito Lindo, which opened in a coffee pot-shaped trailer in Manor in spring 2025, also kicked off its soft opening in the space a few days. Both the Tomo bus and Cielito's trailer will continue operating.

Even though both businesses are relatively new to Austin, Puentes has deep personal connections with the city.

“Before opening TOMO mags, I worked in downtown Austin for the last six years, and I’ve seen such an incredible evolution in what it feels like for the people who work and live here, as well as the visitors passing through,” said Puentes in a press release.

Tomo Mags Austin interior Cafe tables are great for flipping through new finds with Cielito Lindo's signature horchata latte.Photo courtesy of the Downtown Austin Alliance

Driving around town to make sales may sound like a fast-paced existence, but Puentes hopes visitors to Tomo can slow down when they visit, enjoying the physical experience and maybe even creating a personal art archive over time. Part of that includes getting to know the artists filling the shelves.

"With TOMO mags, our goal is to create a place people can come back to regularly to slow down, find inspiration, and leave with something special, or a gift that actually feels thoughtful," he said. "We’re already meeting people from all over the world, and we’re proud to host them and share recommendations that help them experience Austin beyond just downtown, while also spotlighting the creative community and local businesses that make this city so special.”

magazines design openings bookstore