Mickey and Jeanne Klein needed an office for two employees. They ended up with the marble falls art gallery, a free public space on Main Street in Marble Falls, Texas. Arthouse opened on April 25, 2026, and its path from modest brief to civic building shows what a long-term design relationship can produce.
The Klein collection spans contemporary painting, photography, sculpture, drawing and design. The couple had worked with Lake Flato, the San Antonio-based firm that designed their house, for years before this project. So when they asked for help relocating two longtime employees, the firm saw more potential in the request.
The employees were moving from Midland to Marble Falls, a lakeside town about an hour northwest of Austin. They needed a workplace from which to run the Kleins’ day-to-day business. A plan took shape over lunch at the circa-1929 Blue Bonnet Cafe, where the question changed. Could the Kleins share their art with the town?
Ted Flato, the firm’s founder, suggested searching for a site in the walkable downtown core. Grace Boudewyns, a senior associate and lead designer, carried the project forward. Flato credits the client relationship. “You can only do that with long-term clients, where there’s a lot of trust and mutual respect,” he says.
A narrow site beside a 1910 post office
With help from a local contractor, the team secured a compact infill lot on Main Street. The site sits beside a post office built in 1910. Its narrow width made accessibility a design challenge, but the older building gave the new structure a clear reference for scale.
The architects drew on materials and forms common to the Texas Hill Country. They used stone facades, metal roofs and porches that open the building to the street. Each choice ties the marble falls art gallery to its surroundings rather than setting it apart.
Museums built around art often shape their rooms as carefully as the works inside, and Thirteen Museums That Redefine Architecture Worldwide shows how far that approach can go, from glass cubes to underground galleries.
From the street, the building reads as a clean, pale volume. Boudewyns says the goal was restraint. “We knew the building wanted to have a quiet elegance, to support the beautiful art that was going to go in the space,” she says.
Honed Lueders limestone, quarried about three hours north, gives the facade its Texan character. Off-the-shelf metal siding serves as cladding and as an awning. The awning aligns with the parapet of neighboring buildings, which keeps the new work in step with the street.
The architects also created a small Japanese-style courtyard, about 4.5 metres deep, behind the street facade. Sadafumi “Sada” Uchiyama, curator emeritus of the Portland Japanese Garden and a fourth-generation Japanese gardener, designed the garden. Black basalt stones are set into the ground, adding contrast to the pale palette. The courtyard works as an anteroom, moving visitors from the downtown street into the marble falls art gallery. It also pulls the building back from the street, which avoids a two-storey wall of facade on Main Street.
Light, space and a movable wall
Published figures for the building’s size differ. One account gives 372 square metres. Dezeen reports 4,119 square feet, or 383 square metres.
Inside the marble falls art gallery, the Kleins asked for a simple, open space. The ground floor has 12-foot ceilings, white-painted surfaces and plain metal trusses. A large movable showcase wall stands in the middle of the room, so the layout can change when exhibits rotate.
A skylight runs the length of the ceiling and brings in daylight. Lake Flato chose a frit pattern for the glass to diffuse that light and avoid harsh shadows on the art. The upper level sits back under a deep overhang, which shades the offices and cuts solar gain. Its floors and cabinetry are oak.
The first show and its stories
The inaugural exhibition, “Words Matter,” was curated by Mickey Klein. Every work in it uses text in its composition. The lineup includes Ed Ruscha, Jenny Holzer, Faith Ringgold, Kenturah Davis, Terry Allen and Nicholas Galanin. Dezeen names photographer Mary C. Sloane among the artists as well.
Exhibitions like this one rely on the artwork filling the room, and Jacob Hashimoto’s 75,000 Paper Kites at SFMOMA shows how a single installation can transform a gallery’s entire airspace.
Mickey Klein treats the collection as a set of personal connections. Works by Ruscha and Terry Allen prompt first-name stories from him. A colorful blanket by Jeffrey Gibson hangs near the back of the gallery. It usually sits on the Kleins’ bed at home.
Jeanne Klein describes the relationship between the two arts. “The great architecture makes the art look better,” she says, “and the great art makes the architecture look better.”
Visiting the marble falls art gallery
Arthouse is open Thursday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free, and no tickets or reservations are required. The art gallery is at 113 Main Street, Marble Falls, TX 78654, and the phone number is 432-400-2535. School groups can arrange visits by calling the same number.
The marble falls art gallery makes its argument through restraint. The limestone, the white rooms and the quiet courtyard all step back so the art can take center stage. For a town of Marble Falls’ size, that choice may matter as much as the collection itself.
Source: azuremagazine.com
Frequently asked questions
When did the Marble Falls art gallery Arthouse open to the public?
Arthouse, the Marble Falls art gallery, opened on April 25, 2026. It is a free public space on Main Street in Marble Falls, Texas.
What are the visiting hours for Arthouse in Marble Falls?
Arthouse is open Thursday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
Which architecture firm designed the Marble Falls art gallery?
The gallery was designed by Lake Flato, the San Antonio-based firm that had also designed the Kleins’ house. Grace Boudewyns, a senior associate and lead designer, carried the project forward.
What was the first exhibition at Arthouse called?
The inaugural exhibition was called “Words Matter” and was curated by Mickey Klein. Every work in it uses text in its composition.
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