Barnett Newman's iconic "Broken Obelisk" returned to its home above the Rothko Chapel's reflection pool on Thursday.

The 25-foot tall sculpture was gone most of this year for repairs at Lippincott LLC, the Connecticut foundry that originally fabricated the piece for the artist.

The Houston piece was the first of three "Broken Obelisk" sculptures Newman built. It's the only one that sits above a reflection pool, as the artist wished. But that placement and Houston's humid climate have also stressed the sculpture, which has undergone repairs twice previously.

"Broken Obelisk" seems precarious by nature: Its massive rectangular column - the broken obelisk of the title - perches like a sharpened pencil atop the smaller bottom pyramid.

Legendary Houston philanthropists John and Dominique de Menil placed the masterpiece next to their Rothko Chapel after city officials rejected their attempt to donate it to City Hall in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.

At, learn how the repair project is contributing to plans for the Rothko Chapel's future.