Howard Barnstone

Howard Barnstone (March 27, 1923 in Auburn, Maine – May 1987 in Houston, Texas) was a Houston-based American architect. He was best known for his work with Mark Rothko on the Rothko Chapel, which he took on after Rothko and Philip Johnson had creative differences.

Barnstone attended Yale college and the Yale School of Architecture, from which he received a Bachelor of Architecture in 1948. He was a professor at the University of Houston College of Architecture and Design for more than thirty years. His drawings and papers are available at http://digital.houstonlibrary.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/barnstone.

Barnstone published two books:

1. The Galveston That Was (MacMillian 1966), a heavily illustrated book about the historic architecture of Galveston, Texas. Henri Cartier-Bresson did the principal photography for the book.
2. The Architecture of John F. Staub (University of Texas Press 1979), which documents the work of noted Houston architect John F. Staub (1892-1981).