Mecom Fountain

The short version: It’s a beautiful grand fountain lodged in the center of a traffic circle bringing beauty to its own beastly traffic congestion and driver confusion. Did I mention it sits in the middle of Main Street and Montrose Boulevard?
The long story:
Ok, so let me start off by explaining that I moved from New Jersey to Texas. For those who do not know, New Jersey is the home of the traffic circle and the jug handle. Some time in the 1800s someone in NJ decided that the best form of traffic control was a traffic circle. So they made all the major roads cross at a traffic circles. Of course this was not a problem when you used horses and carts, but with high speed vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles, trams, etc., it’s a bit more problematic. Now they have lights at each entrance to the circle and overpasses to avoid them.
So for me the only way to truly understand the Mecom Fountain and its traffic circle is to think of it as a part of Charles Dickens’s «A Tale of Two Cities». Read the following quote and I will explain.
«It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.»
The Best of Times
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The Mecom Fountain is the jewel in the crown of Hermann Park. It stands in the middle of Main Street near the entrance to the park separating Montrose Boulevard from Hermann Loop Drive. The fountain’s waters’ roar triumphantly. It calls out to all those passing by, «Look here!». It announces with a proud Houstonian swagger, «Welcome to all that is refinement. Come in. Relax and enjoy the pleasures of Hermann Park, the culture of Miller Theater, and intellect of the Museum District. Welcome to the heart of culture, parks and recreation. We are Houston!»
Those are certainly the best of times, aren’t they?
Now let’s place this glorious fountain in the middle of a traffic circle at the intersection of 2 major commuting roads with 2 more commuter roads and the light rail less than 100 feet from the circle. Add a 5^th road at an odd angle to insure the confusion is maximized and now you have…
The Worst of Times
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The fountain sits in the middle of a traffic circle that is transected by Main Street and Montrose Boulevard. These are two major commuter and commercial roads. The drivers in the circle travelling along Main Street do not yield to traffic or pedestrians. Main Street traffic is often comprised of exhausted commuters trying to get to and from downtown. Drivers in the circle turning across Main Street need to yield. This causes traffic back ups on Main Street. The side roads feeding the circle get backed up by everyone waiting to get a chance to enter the circle. Someone say traffic snarl please.
That wasn’t too bad was it? But wait there’s more!
Let’s add a fifth road (Hermann Drive) to the circle. Hermann Drive leads to the Natural Science Museum, Childrens Museum, Health Museum, the Houston Garden Center, Miller Theater, and the newly constructed Centennial Gardens and parking lots for Hermann Park. Oh, and of course Highways. Now you have all sorts of various traffic injected on holidays, days off from school, work days and weekends.
Ok, that might be bad … But wait there’s more!!!
Right adjacent to the circle and parallel to Main Street is Fannin Street. Fannin Street is a normal unassuming multi-​lane divided road with the light rail running down the middle adjacent to the park. Very picturesque and peaceful. But by the traffic circle, Fannin Street’s alter ego appears as it splits like a DNA helix along with the light rail into 2 separate one way roads. Fannin now heads south, and San Jacinto heads north. The combination of Fannin, San Jacinto, 2 separate light rail tracks the grand merge onto the Mecom traffic circle tie the final knot in the glorious traffic snarl.
If the Mecom Fountain is «beauty», then the circle in which it resides is «the beast». I love the Mecom Fountain. It’s a cherished speed bump in the road of life. Have fun.

When I meet that special someone, I will plan to bring her here and rescue her from the urban jungle that is the Texas Medical Center. The park, pond and trees surrounding the fountain all work to amplify the peace and calm that come from being near Mecom Fountain. As a sight for a night stroll, there is a good chance there will not be crowds of people, who could disturb quality time together.

I drive by this fountain 2 times a day, every weekday. Other than the always eclectic stretch of Montrose around Hawthorne and Westheimer which never fails to offer some interesting sidewalk character, this is the most interesting part of my drive.
I like when pranksters fill it with soap and bubbles overflow wildly. I gawk at the neon colored quinceanera dresses with 10 foot diameters. And I laugh when I see aspiring models in bikinis trying to look sexy on a fountain either sweating bullets or fighting goosebumps.
It doesn’t get a 5^th star because its located near many tourist attractions and the medical center, so out-​of-​towners and locals alike (my dear husband included) get confused driving around one of the few traffic circles in town. And of course, I do this so regularly, I could do it blindfolded, so you newbs are making me late to work!

This fountain and the surrounding garden area, at night, is very relaxing, beautiful and across the street from the hotel I stayed at… the hotel was significantly less relaxing.

Public Advisory: Yes this place is pretty, but there are OTHER places to take pictures in this town.

When I was new to Houston (this is before the fancy google maps) and I would get lost, I would always end up at this intersection and it would confirm to me that I was in fact lost. There are worse places to be lost at.
If you want to come here on a Saturday or Sunday morning, forget it. You’re not going to find parking unless you use the garage in one of the museums (and pay). between all the museums, Hermann Park, and the Garden Centers, it’s pretty packed.
If you’re not from Texas you’ll notice a lot of what looks like wedding parties there along with the limos and photographers, but then you’d think «they look kind of young to be married… and where the hell is the Groom??». That amgio is a Quinceanera. It’s a magical time in a girl’s life where instead of saving up money for college, she hits up relatives for cash to throw a huge princess party to show up her friends. It’s just beautiful.
As a photographer, I love coming to the area when I’m bored. Especially in the evening.

Houston flavor! You can drive past this thing at 4AM and it will still be swamped with photographers following around young Mexican women entering womanhood in their Quinceanera dresses.

Whenever I see the Mecom Fountain it’s a great assurance that I’m home. That’s one of the things I love about living in the Museum District. The fountains are especially beautiful at night.
Like others have said, it is a great place for pictures. Cullen Sculpture Garden is the most popular place in Houston for graduation and engagement picture, Mecom Fountain is the place for Quinceañera and wedding portraits. I once drove by and there were both kinds of groups there taking their portraits and two corresponding stretch Hummers.
Every once and a while someone will sneak bubbles into the fountains making it truly spectacular.
The round-​a-​bout that surrounds the fountains can give you a headache. Even if you understand the flow of traffic doesn’t mean the person next to you does. There is a constant stream of car horns to prove it!

A photographer friend of mine once said that this is the most beautiful intersection in all of Houston.
I couldn’t agree more. Especially at night, though I only see it from a car window.
I completely forget that I am in Houston, and all of a sudden, I am transported to somewhere more romantic, more sophisticated, less humid… okay the last bit is wishful thinking.
In the daytime however, I always have to stop by it when walking from museum to museum or walking over to the park, the Glassell school or the Jung center.
I must admit (okay, I never denied that I have issues) that I get seriously upset when I see the quinceañeras or prom goers that David S. mentions, parking their Hummer limos in front of the fountain while taking pictures.
It isn’t their fault that those fountains are so beautiful and people want to use them as the backdrop to commemorate their special day… but I am selfish, and I like seeing the fountains unobstructed by eyesores. AKA Hummer limos.

I don’t know what it is, but there is something special about the Mecom Fountain. I mean during the day, it is sometimes a death wish to drive around it. People just don’t know what to do on the road there when Montrose changes to Main St.
But at night? I can’t tell you how many nights when I used to live in Montrose, when I would be awake in the darkness and the streets would be mine and my thoughts would breathe in and out of the breeze right along with the air; when I would leave my windows down and put on a mixtape I made in my old beat up car (yes, I said mixtape), and when I would drive the circle over and over as many times as I wanted while the Pixies or Pavement or Modest Mouse or Death Cab for Cutie rocked me out or soothed my soul — whatever was necessary at the time.
The Verdict: I guess you can say I love this fountain for all of those late-​night drives. Thanks, Mecom.

The Mecom Fountain is one of my favorite sights in Houston. Love to see these driving down Main, usually because it is late in the evening and seeing the Fountain means I am driving home. They really are a bit of class for Houston.
Most weekends, you will see multiple stretch limos, professional photographers and groups with young girls in all their finest having their picture taken at the Fountain for their quinceanera. A unique bit of Houston culture.