The Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park,[1] also known as the Williams Waterwall, is a multi-story sculptural fountain which sits at the south end of Williams Tower in the Uptown District of Houston. It and its surrounding park were built as an architectural amenity to the adjacent tower. Both the fountain and tower were designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Philip Johnson. The fountain is currently operating between 11 am and 4 pm.
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Philip Johnson and John Burgee, in coordination with developer Gerald D. Hines began working on the Transco Tower complex in 1982, and completed construction 18 months later in 1983. The Waterwall was fully and regularly operational in 1985.[2]
Construction and maintenance cost figures were never released, but at the time of completion, Johnson and Hines made public vital statistics about the wall, including measurements and water volume.[3]
Johnson's design for the water wall was to be a "horseshoe of rushing water" opposite of the Transco (now Williams) Tower. The semi-circular fountain is 64 feet (20 m) 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.[4]
Water cascades in vast channeled sheets from the narrower top rim of the circle to the wider base below, both on the convex side and on the rear side. This creates a visually striking urban waterfall that can be viewed from various buildings around the district.
46,500 square feet (4,320 m2) of water cover the interior, while 35,000 square feet (3,300 m2) 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.[3]
Known simply as "The Waterwall" or even still as the "Transco Waterwall" to locals, the fountain is a popular backdrop for tourists and locals alike. Though located outside of the Loop, the Waterwall is considered a central part of the Houston landscape and is often host to picnics and concerts.
In 1987, former Oiler quarterback Dan Pastorini married Dena Kindred at a private ceremony at the wall. 40 people attended the ceremony, which was held during the night on September 23.[5]
Though the Waterwall technically sits on private property, only open to the public daily from 10 am to 10 pm, it is often touted as a popular tourist spot, and was an 'official sight' during the 1992 Republican National Convention.[6]
In 2001, the made-for-TV movie The Way She Moves was filmed in Houston and contained scenes shot in front of the Waterwall.[7]
The Bollywood song "Dilbar Dilbar" from the film Sirf Tum was shot here.
Originally dubbed the "Williams Waterwall", the City of Houston renamed the site on December 17, 2009 honoring the Houstonian for his impact on Houston architecture during the last century.[1]