Day Trips: Gerald D. Hines Waterwall, Houston

The Gerald D. Hines Waterwall in Houston roars like Niagara Falls, looks like a painting, and, from the front, resembles a temple to our most precious resource.

The 64-foot-tall semicircular fountain was completed in 1985 to complement the adjacent 64-story Transco (now Williams) Tower (the third-tallest skyscraper in Houston) near the Galleria, one of the largest shopping malls in the U.S. All three were ventures of Gerald Hines, whose company, Hines, developed real estate around the world from its Houston headquarters.

The Waterwall sends 11,000 gallons of recycled water down both sides in cascading sheets. The fountain filters approximately 80,000 gallons of water every 3.5 hours. At its base a fine mist cools visitors in the summer heat.

The interior wall surface is made of black obsidian aggregate, in contrast to the white water. In front of the wall of water are three archways called a scaenae frons (pronounced “skay-nigh fronz”) acting as an entrance. The feature is reminiscent of the permanent background of a Roman theatre stage.

The gateway opens to a 360-foot-long lawn, the size of a football field, but no ballgames are allowed, and it is lined with 186 live oak trees and a wide sidewalk.

Parking near the water feature is available for free at the Galleria’s Nordstrom parking garage. Paid public visitor parking can be found in the garage next to the Williams Tower. Street parking is at a premium in the area.

Originally part of the office tower, the park was purchased by the Uptown Houston Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, a semi-governmental body, in 2008 to ensure its continued free use by the public.

The Gerald D. Hines Waterwall is at 2800 Post Oak Blvd. between Hidalgo Street and Westheimer Road. The fountain runs daily from 8am to 9pm. At night the water is illuminated. Well-behaved pets on a leash are welcome.

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