This fall, Fountain Mall will get its fountain back, as a a 46-by-61-foot water garden will anchor the newly renovated Fifth Street through the heart of campus. The new Rosenbalm Fountain, currently under construction, is actually the third fountain to grace the part of campus known as Fountain Mall.
In 1964, the original Green and Gold Fountain was built to honor the contributions of the Baylor Waco Foundation. According to a 1965 press release, it marked “the dividing point between the old campus and new development area to the east which was purchased for Baylor by the Baylor Waco Foundation.” Sometimes referred to as “the Chamber fountain,” it was turned into a planter in the early 1980s, then removed in 2011.
From 1982 to 2003, the Vara Martin Daniel Fountain (informally referred to by many as “the rocket launcher”) took its place as “the fountain on Fountain Mall.” The fountain was named for the wife of former Guam Governor Bill Daniel, JD ’38, and was built around the same time that the nearby Carroll Science building was being restored to house the Baylor English department.
Baylor’s new fountain is going up along a more pedestrian-friendly Fifth Street, thanks to a generous gift by Dr. Thomas Rosenbalm, BS ’50, MS ’51. But it will be far from the only fountain on Baylor’s campus. Some of the others are quite visible; others are well-hidden. Each reveals something about the various distinct areas on campus. (Click in each photo below for more information.)
Even this extensive selection isn’t a complete list of Baylor fountains through history; others have certainly come and gone over Baylor’s 170+ years.
Do you have a favorite fountain on campus, one that was or is a favorite place to study or relax? See if you can find each fountain on campus; it makes for a fun trek through our beautiful campus, and may just provide you with a new place to study, work or reflect.
Sic ’em, Baylor fountains!