Coffee House Removes Mural

Will Montrose coffee house be the same without distinctive mural?

When you own a building and rent out one of the rooms, does your tenant have carte blanche to decorate the space according to personal preference?

That's a question that's come up recently when Inversion Coffee House, which shares a building with its landlord, the Art League Houston, took down a prominent mural window display — a tribute to a 2005 art project by the artist collaborative Havel Ruck that once stood in the same space.

“Inversion is making some great changes — hired new staff, changed the coffee to Greenway — but this (removing the mural) isn’t one,” says Art League Houston director Michael Peranteau.

“The mural was a touchstone for people from around the world. A man came from Japan a month ago to see it," says Art League director Michael Peranteau.

He acknowledges that there's nothing in the lease that prevents the removal, but laments, “The mural was a touchstone for people from around the world. A man came from Japan a month ago to see it.”

Furthermore, Peranteau notes, the timing of the episode occurs just before the Art League’s installation honoring Havel Ruck Projects. The duo is being honored as the 2014 Texas Artists of the Year and an exhibition of their work will open Sept. 19 in the adjoining Art League space.

Because the mural photograph was a large sticker in the window, it couldn't be saved when removed.

Inversion owner Greg Johnson insists he had only good intentions with regards to the change of décor. “I spoke with (Dan) Havel and (Dean) Ruck before the original structure from 2005 was demolished. I suggested doing something to commemorate the project, so I named the place in its honor, hung a photo of the piece on the wall and placed a large mural sticker in the window," he says.

"With David Buehrer (Blacksmith Coffee, Greenway Coffee) now on board as managing partner, we’re transitioning. That includes adding a new artwork display in support of local artists. The mural blocked not only the sunlight, but also the view of the interior. You couldn’t see out (into the parking lot) either, which was a hazard to our employees leaving after closing up for the night. We took it down for the right reasons.”

Even so, for some longtime customers, it won't seem the same without the distinctive mural that explained the coffee shop's name.

The Inversion sticker mural was recently removed from the window of the Montrose coffee shop.

J.E Theirot Flickr

The Inversion sticker mural was recently removed from the window of the Montrose coffee shop.

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A Roman Holiday (Season)

All roads lead to Houston museum's blockbuster exhibit of Imperial Rome

Photo courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

The Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents "Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times" ("Statue of Trajan" Minturno, Italy, 2nd century, marble, National Archaeological Museum, Naples)

Houston's holiday season will have a distinctly Roman feeling this year, as the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is bringing the glory of the Gladiator era to Texas. On November 2, 2025 through January 25, 2026 the MFAH presents the monumental new exhibition “Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times.”

Featuring 160 objects of antiquity, including marble sculptures, frescoes, mosaics, delicate glass vessels, and exquisite bronze artifacts, the exhibition will transport visitors back in time to the Roman Empire during a flowering of art and architecture. The MFAH partnered with the Saint Louis Art Museum to organize the exhibition, which will showcase many pieces that have never been on view in the U.S.

While Emperor Trajan might not be the most famous — or in some cases, most infamous — of the Roman emperors, he ruled between 98 and 117 C.E. during the empire’s height and was the second of the so-called “Five Good Emperors” of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. He was also the first emperor born outside of present-day Italy, in what is now Andalusia, Spain. During his reign, he granted citizenship and rights to some peoples from conquered lands. The exhibition will explore how this time period expanded what it meant to be a Roman and how art reflected Rome’s power and promoted the empire’s values and ideals.

$\u200bThe Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents "Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times"$

Photo courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

The Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents "Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times" ("Statue of Trajan" Minturno, Italy, 2nd century, marble, National Archaeological Museum, Naples)

From statues of prominent men and women of the era, including Trajan, to vivid frescoes and furnishing from the villas of Pompeii, the objects in the exhibition will tell fascinating cultural and political stories of life in imperial Rome. To add context to the artworks and objects of antiquity, the MFAH will recreate a section of Trajan’s Column, which was a towering pillar with a spiraling narrative frieze, one of the few monumental sculptures to have survived the fall of Rome.

“Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times” brings such a wealth of objects to Houston thanks to unprecedented loans from the renowned antiquities collections of Italian museums including Museo Nazionale Romano, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, the Parco Archeologico di Ostia, and the Musei Vaticani. It would would likely take months of travel across Italy to see this much art.

“This is truly a rare opportunity for U.S. audiences to experience spectacular objects from this glorious era of the Roman Empire,” said Gary Tinterow, director and Margaret Alkek Williams chair of the MFAH, in a statement. “We are enormously grateful to our colleagues in Rome, Naples, and Vatican City for lending these treasures to us and broadening the appreciation of Italy’s cultural heritage.”

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