Downtown Fountains

[Sunstar]

I've noticed that the fountains at Main Street Square haven't been working for quite some time. I know at one point they were doing some warranty work, but that should be done by now. I was watching Rocket's game on TNT and they did a break away shot of the fountains. National networks are finally starting to show shots of downtown during sporting events and it dissapoints me when things don't look there best. Anyone know what's going on?

[kjb434]

What day was it. The fountains are offline a lot times on Thursdays for maintenance. It gets them ready for Friday and Saturday.

[KimberlySayWhat]

They like to show the aquarium a lot. I recoreded yesterday's game, but didn't have the heart to watch after checking the final score online. *sigh*

[midtown_resident]

a few weeks ago i walked by the fountains and there was a sign that said 'warranty repair work being done' or something to that effect...

[Sunstar]

About a dozen times in the last 3 or 4 weeks. I work downtown and like to walk by Main Street Square during my lunchbreak. I noticed the signs about the warranty work, but that was 3 weeks ago.

What day was it.  The fountains are offline a lot times on Thursdays for maintenance.  It gets them ready for Friday and Saturday.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[editor]

Do you think the warranty would be voided in the event of another Allison-type storm? I wouldn't want to be the one to fish the gators out of Main Street.

[kjb434]

^^^

The main street fountian is only two or three feet deep at the most. Gators and other wildlife would probably be most found in the tunnel system or parking garages.

[GovernorAggie]

I've seen the same warranty signs. I wonder what the deal is.

[wendyps]

I think that is just the joy of paying millions of dollars to the cheapest bidder...I work at 1000 Main and those things work about half the time. There is a "leak" of some sort here (if you go in and look down to the tunnels you can see that the floor is wet), I've heard the building is trying to blame the fountain...Also, they can't seem to get the timing or the alignment of the pumps right.

[kjb434]

This past Sunday the fountains were operational. Remember, the fountains are there to impress visitors and people who go out at night in the city. The daily traffic of office workers have alread seen this fountain many times.

Having it worked on during the day is not a big deal.

[(Otto Mation)]

J-a-x has added a photo to the pool:

Main Street Square, Downtown Houston.

Click here to view this photo at the HAIF Photo Pool on Flickr

[j_cuevas713]

So why are all the fountains downtown shut off? From Sesquicentennial Park to Tranquility Park, everything has been shut down for years. Even the Cotswold fountains are rarely turned on. 

Edited April 3, 2023 by j_cuevas713

[Houston19514]

44 minutes ago, j_cuevas713 said:

So why are all the fountains downtown shut off? From Sesquicentennial Park to Tranquility Park, everything has been shut down for years. Even the Cotswold fountains are rarely turned on. 

I love the HAIF hyperbole.  Those are FAR from all of downtown's fountains.

But FWIW, I'm pretty sure the Sesquicentennial fountain was seriously damaged in Hurricane Harvey.  I have not been able to find any information about its future. 

I saw something recently about a plan to get the Cotswold fountains fixed; probably in the Downtown Management District meeting minutes.  Found it:  "HDMD formalized and executed an agreement with Houston First to repair and oversee the maintenance of the eleven (11) "Cotswold" fountains located on Prairie, Preston and Congress beginning on January 30. The maintenance and repair costs for the Cotswold fountains will be fully reimbursed by Houston First."

Tranquility Park - I've wondered about that too.  I've seen some speculation about them leaking in to the below-surface parking garages, but haven't verified that and haven't seen anything about a plan to fix them.  There is a proposed re-do of Tranquility Park included in the Theater District master plan, so perhaps they are just waiting for that to occur.

Edited April 3, 2023 by Houston19514

[editor]

On 4/3/2023 at 12:00 PM, Houston19514 said:

I love the HAIF hyperbole.  Those are FAR from all of downtown's fountains.

It's only minor hyperbole.

It is a fact that the vast majority of downtown's fountains are dead.

Which ones are even still running?

• Market Square
• Smith fountain
• Heritage Park
• Any others?

Every once in a very long while, a Cotswold fountain will turn on and run for a couple of weeks and then stop. 

In two years, I've seen the fountain at Houston Center running once. The water features at Discovery Green are inconsistent at best.

[Houston19514]

6 hours ago, editor said:

It's only minor hyperbole.

It is a fact that the vast majority of downtown's fountains are dead.

Which ones are even still running?

• Market Square
• Smith fountain
• Heritage Park
• Any others?

Every once in a very long while, a Cotswold fountain will turn on and run for a couple of weeks and then stop. 

In two years, I've seen the fountain at Houston Center running once. The water features at Discovery Green are inconsistent at best.

I guess your mileage may vary.  ;-)  My experience at Discovery Green is, shall we say, not consistent with yours. Interestingly, I just checked their live webcam and both the splashpad and misttree water features are indeed running.

Likewise Houston Center. Their new fountain seems to be on every time I go by there.  In any event, there are a LOT to choose from.  I'll take a bike ride around soon to confirm which of these are still operating, but I'm pretty sure the vast majority are:

• Market Square 1 (as you mentioned)
• Market Square (Cotswold #12)
• Market Square (Cotswold #3)
• Smith (as you mentioned)
• Sam Houston Park Scanlan fountain
• Sam Houston Park Neuhaus fountain (I presume one of these is what you were referencing by "Heritage Park")
• Houston Center
• Discovery Green Misttree
• Discovery Green splash pad
• Hermann Square
• Main Street Square
• Downtown Aquarium water table
• Downtown Aquarium waterwall
• Downtown Aquarium marlin fountain
• Allen Center courtyard
• 1100 Louisiana
• Wells Fargo Plaza water wall
• Humble Oil Building hotels
• Root Memorial Square
• Sisters of Charity Park
• Christ Church Cathedral
• Jones Hall
• Hess Tower
• KBR Tower - Cullen Center
• Courthouse Square - Family Law Center
• Green Street 1
• Green Street 2
• Green Street 3
• Avenida Houston
• Catalyst
• Harmonica Man Park - Brazos and Pease
• George Bush Monument
• POST roof park
• Cotswold #11 - Congress @ Main

NOT WORKING:

• Sesquicentennial Park
• Tranquility Park
• Cotswold #2, and 4-10  (as has been mentioned, these are being addressed)

Edited April 12, 2023 by Houston19514

[editor]

6 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

Likewise Houston Center. Their new fountain seems to be on every time I go by there.

I must be lucky. I just walked past it, and it's not on. 

[Houston19514]

Since we now have a time limit on editing, I'm reposting my list of downtown fountains with some edits:

WORKING:

1. Market Square 1 (as you mentioned)
2. Market Square (Cotswold #12)
3. Market Square (Cotswold #3)
4. Smith (as you mentioned)
5. Sam Houston Park Scanlan fountain
6. Sam Houston Park Neuhaus fountain (I presume one of these is what you were referencing by "Heritage Park")
7. Houston Center
8. Discovery Green Misttree
9. Discovery Green splash pad
10. Hermann Square
11. Main Street Square 1
12. Main Street Square 2
13. Downtown Aquarium water table
14. Downtown Aquarium waterwall
15. Downtown Aquarium marlin fountain
16. Allen Center courtyard
17. 1100 Louisiana
18. Humble Oil Building hotels
19. Root Memorial Square
20. Christ Church Cathedral
21. Jones Hall
22. Hess Tower
23. Courthouse Square - Family Law Center
24. Green Street 1
25. Green Street 2
26. Green Street 3
27. Avenida Houston
28. Catalyst
29. Harmonica Man Park - Brazos and Pease
30. George Bush Monument
31. POST roof park
32. Cotswold #11 - Congress @ Main

NOT WORKING:

1. Sesquicentennial Park
2. Tranquility Park
3. -   8.   Cotswold #2, and 4-10  (as has been mentioned, these are being addressed)

Edited April 12, 2023 by Houston19514

[Houston19514]

Did a spin around downtown and have to do some more edits  (Reminder: this is in response to Editor's claim that "It is a fact that the vast majority of downtown's fountains are dead.")

WORKING:

1. Market Square 1 (as you mentioned)
2. Market Square (Cotswold #12)
3. Market Square (Cotswold #3)
4. Smith (as you mentioned)
5. Sam Houston Park Scanlan fountain
6. Sam Houston Park Neuhaus fountain (I presume one of these is what you were referencing by "Heritage Park")
7. Houston Center
8. Discovery Green Misttree
9. Discovery Green splash pad
10. Hermann Square
11. Main Street Square 1
12. Main Street Square 2
13. Downtown Aquarium water table
14. Downtown Aquarium waterwall
15. Downtown Aquarium marlin fountain
16. Allen Center courtyard
17. 1100 Louisiana
18. Humble Oil Building hotels
19. Root Memorial Square
20. Christ Church Cathedral
21. Jones Hall
22. Hess Tower
23. Courthouse Square - Family Law Center
24. Green Street 1
25. Green Street 2
26. Green Street 3
27. Avenida Houston
28. Catalyst
29. Harmonica Man Park - Brazos and Pease
30. George Bush Monument
31. POST roof park
32. Cotswold #11 - Congress @ Main
33. Cotswold #8 - Preston @ Crawford
34. Cotswold #6 - Preston between Fannin & San Jacinto
35. Cotswold #9 - Prairie @ Travis

NOT WORKING:

1. Sesquicentennial Park
2. Tranquility Park
3. Cotswold #2
4. Cotswold # 4
5. Cotswold #5
6. Cotswold #7
7. Cotswold #10

Edited April 16, 2023 by Houston19514

[rechlin]

To add to the list of non-functioning fountains, I have to mention The Water Screen, at Main Street Square, which hasn't worked in years (pictured below; photo taken today).  Also, although the fountains behind it have water, the jets haven't operated in a while -- maybe they are still off from winter, because they never seem to have been operated year-round, but it's been some time since I last saw them spray too:

[Houston19514]

1 minute ago, rechlin said:

To add to the list of non-functioning fountains, I have to mention The Water Screen, at Main Street Square, which hasn't worked in years (pictured below; photo taken today).  Also, although the fountains behind it have water, the jets haven't operated in a while -- maybe they are still off from winter, because they never seem to have been operated year-round, but it's been some time since I last saw them spray too:

They were both operating the last two times I was down there (twice in the past week). I was pleasantly surprised to see the "screen" operating, because I, too, had not seen it working in years.

Edited April 17, 2023 by Houston19514

[cspwal]

Maybe downtown management district is tracking your location and only turning on fountains while you're downtown 

[Houston19514]

14 hours ago, cspwal said:

Maybe downtown management district is tracking your location and only turning on fountains while you're downtown 

.  Riiigghhtt  ;-)   And Discovery Green turns their water features on when I look at their webcams...

[Houston19514]

Just did another walk around parts of downtown and need to do an update.  Again, both Main Street Square fountains are indeed working.  To be clear the "screen" fountain does not run nonstop and was never intended to.  It's apparently on some sort of timer. I waited for may two minutes and, sure enough, it came on.

Also, to update, it looks like the former Allen Center courtyard fountain did not come back when the redid the open space, so one less working fountain. But there is a lovely new fountain in the Barbara Bush Literacy Plaza that is working.  So the count stands at 35 working.   7 not working.  Everyone can judge for themselves whether "it is a fact that the vast majority of downtown's fountains are dead".   😉

WORKING:

1. Market Square 1 (as you mentioned)
2. Market Square (Cotswold #12)
3. Market Square (Cotswold #3)
4. Smith (as you mentioned)
5. Sam Houston Park Scanlan fountain
6. Sam Houston Park Neuhaus fountain (I presume one of these is what you were referencing by "Heritage Park")
7. Houston Center
8. Discovery Green Misttree
9. Discovery Green splash pad
10. Hermann Square
11. Main Street Square 1
12. Main Street Square 2
13. Downtown Aquarium water table
14. Downtown Aquarium waterwall
15. Downtown Aquarium marlin fountain
16. Barbara Bush Literacy Plaza
17. 1100 Louisiana
18. Humble Oil Building hotels
19. Root Memorial Square
20. Christ Church Cathedral
21. Jones Hall
22. Hess Tower
23. Courthouse Square - Family Law Center
24. Green Street 1
25. Green Street 2
26. Green Street 3
27. Avenida Houston
28. Catalyst
29. Harmonica Man Park - Brazos and Pease
30. George Bush Monument
31. POST roof park
32. Cotswold #11 - Congress @ Main
33. Cotswold #8 - Preston @ Crawford
34. Cotswold #6 - Preston between Fannin & San Jacinto
35. Cotswold #9 - Prairie @ Travis

NOT WORKING:

1. Sesquicentennial Park
2. Tranquility Park
3. Cotswold #2
4. Cotswold # 4
5. Cotswold #5
6. Cotswold #7
7. Cotswold #10

[Sunstar]

4 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

 

Just did another walk around parts of downtown and need to do an update.  Again, both Main Street Square fountains are indeed working.  To be clear the "screen" fountain does not run nonstop and was never intended to.  It's apparently on some sort of timer. I waited for may two minutes and, sure enough, it came on.

When you say both the Main Street square fountains are working, do you mean the ones with the high arching streams? I don’t know if I just have horrible timing but I haven’t seen those work in like 12 years. 

Also, for the one on Avenida Houston, was the mechanism working or just the fountain? 

[Houston19514]

15 hours ago, Sunstar said:

When you say both the Main Street square fountains are working, do you mean the ones with the high arching streams? I don’t know if I just have horrible timing but I haven’t seen those work in like 12 years. 

Also, for the one on Avenida Houston, was the mechanism working or just the fountain? 

Yes, apparently you have horrible timing.  😉The high arching streams weee indeed not working for a while (although I think it was well less than 12 years), but they have been working recently.

Here’s a YouTube video from 2 months ago.  

 

On Avenida, just the fountain. The kinetic sculpture is no longer kinetic.

Edited April 23, 2023 by Houston19514

[Sunstar]

3 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

Yes, apparently you have horrible timing.  😉The high arching streams weee indeed not working for a while (although I think it was well less than 12 years), but they have been working recently.

I’m glad to hear it’s functioning. I am bummed about the Avenida fountain no longer being kinetic. I thought it was a cool concept. 

[rechlin]

After several more times going by Main Street Square and still not seeing any of the fountains working, I was beginning to think I was going crazy, but I went by again today and finally they were working.  Also, although the screen wasn't running, I saw evidence (water on the ground in front of it) that it had been running recently, so I guess that indeed is operational even if I still haven't been able to see it.  So clearly I've just had really bad luck with these fountains!

[mollusk]

I can't think of the last time I saw the Jones Hall fountain working, though it does have water in it (and assuming that we're talking about the water feature on the lower concourse).  I walk past it several times a week going to and from the molluskmobile.

IIRC the Main Street Square water screen only comes on when the wind is relatively calm.  Otherwise it can give passers by a nice shower.

[Houston19514]

On 4/24/2023 at 2:27 PM, mollusk said:

I can't think of the last time I saw the Jones Hall fountain working, though it does have water in it (and assuming that we're talking about the water feature on the lower concourse).  I walk past it several times a week going to and from the molluskmobile.

IIRC the Main Street Square water screen only comes on when the wind is relatively calm.  Otherwise it can give passers by a nice shower.

Interesting... the last time I saw the Jones Hall fountain working was . . .  yesterday.

 

 

Also went by Houston Center on yesterday's walk.  Here's the fountain:

 

[editor]

 

Nope. Not working. 
 

Also not working, but Midtown, not downtown. 
 

I did see two seemingly refurbished Cotswold fountains today. So I guess that's something.