Multi-story sculptural fountain that sits opposite the south face of Williams Tower in the Uptown District of Houston
General Information
Get on I-45 N. Take I-10 W and I-610 S to W Loop S. Take exit 8C from I-610 S. Drive to Post Oak Blvd.
The Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park, located in the Uptown District of the city, serves as a popular tourist attraction and for weddings and various celebrations. The Park, is a multi-story sculptural fountain that sits opposite the south face of Williams Tower in the Uptown District of Houston. The architects' design for the Waterwall was to be a "horseshoe of rushing water" opposite the Transco (now Williams) Tower. The semi-circular fountain is 64 feet tall, to symbolize the 64 stories of the tower, and sits among 118 Texas live oak trees. The concave portion of the circle, which faces north toward the tower, is fronted by a "proscenium arch" shorter than the fountain itself. The convex portion, its backside, faces south onto Hidalgo Street.
Water cascades in vast channeled sheets from the narrower top rim of the circle to the wider base below, both on the concave side and on the convex side. This creates a visually striking urban waterfall that can be viewed from various buildings around the district. 46,500 square feet of water cover the interior, while 35,000 square feet cover the exterior. The main building material of the fountain is St. Joe brick. However, the Romanesque arches are made of Indiana Buss limestone, while the wall's base is black granite. The entire fountain's water supply, consisting of 78,500 gallons is recycled by an internal mechanism every three hours and two minutes. Known simply as "The Waterwall" to locals, the fountain is a popular backdrop for tourists and locals alike. The Waterwall is considered a central part of the Houston landscape and is often host to picnics and concerts.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
