![Galleriawaterfall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Galleriawaterfall.jpg)
The Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park,
formerly the Williams Waterwall and the Transco Waterwall, is a multi-story sculptural fountain that sits opposite the south face of
Williams Tower
The Williams Tower (originally named the Transco Tower) is a 64-story, class A art deco office tower located in the Uptown District of Houston, Texas. The building was designed by New York-based John Burgee Architects with Philip Johnson in ...
in the
Uptown District of
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
. The fountain and its surrounding park were built as an architectural amenity to the adjacent tower. Both the fountain and tower were designed by
John Burgee Architects with
Philip Johnson
Philip Cortelyou Johnson (July 8, 1906 – January 25, 2005) was an American architect best known for his works of modern and postmodern architecture. Among his best-known designs are his modernist Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut; the po ...
. Originally privately owned in common with the office tower, the waterwall and the surrounding land were purchased by the Uptown Houston Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, a non-profit local government corporation, in 2008 to ensure the long term preservation of the waterwall and park. The fountain currently operates between 10 am and 9 pm.
Construction
John Burgee Architects and Philip Johnson, in coordination with developer
Gerald D. Hines began working on the Transco Tower complex in 1982, and completed construction of the office tower 18 months later in 1983. The Waterwall was fully and regularly operational in 1985.
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.
[Spies, Michael.]
Water Sculpture Makes Big Splash
" ''Houston Chronicle
The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...
''. Thursday July 25, 1985. Weekend Preview Page 1. Retrieved on November 23, 2009.
Description
![Geral D](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Geral_D._Hines_Waterwall_Park_Plaque.jpg)
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 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.
of water cover the interior, while 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.
Waterwall lore
![Geral D](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Geral_D._Hines_Waterwall_Park_Base.jpg)
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.
On the night of September 23, 1987, former
Oiler quarterback
Dan Pastorini
Dante Anthony Pastorini (born May 26, 1949) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Houston Oilers. He played college football at Santa Clara University and wa ...
married Dena Kindred at a private ceremony at the wall.
The wall was an "official sight" during the 1992 Republican National Convention.
In 2001, the made-for-TV movie ''
The Way She Moves'' was filmed in Houston and contained scenes shot in front of the Waterwall.
The
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
song
Dilbar Dilbar from the film ''
Sirf Tum
''Sirf Tum'' () is a 1999 Indian Hindi romance film directed by Agathian. It was released on 4 June 1999. The film features Sanjay Kapoor, Priya Gill, Sushmita Sen, Jackie Shroff and Mohnish Behl. The movie was filmed in Nainital, Kerala and ...
'' was shot here.
In 2013, the made-for-TV movie ''
The Preacher's Mistress'' was filmed in Houston and contained a scene shot in front of the Waterwall.
["A Houston preacher's daughter becomes a Lifetime TV star: It's better to direc]
" '' CultureMap''. Friday November 29, 2013.
The 1992
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts champions ...
film ''
Sidekicks'' had a portion filmed at the Waterwall.
In 2012, an original site-specific performance, "Natural Acts in Artificial Water" by director/choreographer Stephan Koplowitz was performed on May 19, 20, 2012.https://www.skoplowitz.com/naturalacts
Renaming
Originally the "Transco Waterwall", the waterwall was renamed the "Williams Waterfall" to correspond with the renaming of the adjacent office tower due to the merger of Transco Energy Co. with the Williams Companies. The City of Houston renamed the site again on December 17, 2009 honoring Gerald D. Hines for his impact on Houston architecture during the last six decades.
Notes
External links
Hines Properties – Williams Tower
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hines, Gerald D. Waterwall Park
Buildings and structures in Houston
Fountains in Texas
Tourist attractions in Houston