Texas Live!

Arlington, Texas

OTL Delivers Special-Effects Show Fountain Adjacent to $250M Entertainment District in Arlington, Texas

In the heart of Arlington, Texas, a national leader in cultural arts, sports, and entertainment that “dreams big,” sits the Texas Live! development. The Live! project is a $250 million world-class dining, entertainment, and hospitality district nestled between the Texas Rangers’ $1.2 billion Globe Life Park and the Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium.

Situated in a public park, next to a $150 million flagship Live! by Loews luxury hotel, with direct sight lines to AT&T Stadium, Johnson Creek, Texas Live! and the Globe Life Field retractable roof ballpark, is a technology-driven special-effects show fountain designed and constructed by OTL.

The one-of-a-kind water feature aligns with the Arlington Parks and Recreation Department’s vision to provide unique arts and culture experiences for the City’s Sculpture Trail along Johnson Creek.

.
Idea

OTL was tasked with delivering a grand-scale amenity that would highlight this growing mixed-use district in the Big Texas city of Arlington.

With a tight six-month timeline for design, engineering, permitting, construction, programming, and start-up, the team not only met this challenge, but also strategically built in the capacity for expansions and additions to the show fountain in the future. OTL recognized the importance of giving the developers what they needed then, while also engineering solutions that allow for continued growth. This is an added value the company brings to projects in which it is integrated early in the development process.

Chris Roy, OTL’s director of creative design and lead designer on the project, collaborated with The Cordish Companies, architect HKS Architects, landscape architects SWA/Balsley, and MMA Texas (the latter of which also served as civil engineer for the project), while the company’s project executive John Cunningham, project manager Kevin Bright, and superintendent Jerry West coordinated the build with general contractor Manhattan Construction on the milestone project.

The completed Texas Live! show fountain features bold special effects, including 57 fast-paced chaser jets over 25 feet in height, six vertical air cannons over 60 feet tall, six OTL custom-developed burst-effect air cannons, over 200 color-changing lights, and six dancing flame nozzles that captivate visitors. OTL’s design includes nearly 70 fountain jets, with several that will reach a stunning 60 feet in the air, as well as fire effects and state-of-the-art lighting – all of which are integrated into Arlington’s high-profile sports and entertainment offerings.

For example, the firm has created custom fountain-show sequences that burst into the air to celebrate a major score or win by the nearby Dallas Cowboys or Texas Rangers. The fountain delivers the ultimate fan experience – both for fans watching the games remotely during COVID-19 or in person, as well as locals and tourists enjoying the many offerings of the nearby hotel and venue –  and serves as an iconic landmark for the City of Arlington’s existing offerings.

Cities and entertainment districts benefit directly from special-effects water features like this one that draw people closer to shopping, dining, and entertainment establishments, encouraging increased length of stay at those businesses, and providing social-media-worthy photo opportunities that spread interest in the area and foster tourism.

Impact

The public fountain at Texas Live! provides an impressive show to Arlington residents and visitors, while enhancing Arlington’s thriving Entertainment District and beautifying Johnson Creek. The water feature delivers a host of thrilling special effects that integrate into Arlington’s sports-and-entertainment-driven atmosphere.

As the focal point of this public gathering space, the show fountain is a spectacle worthy of its entertainment surroundings and an attraction all its own, drawing people in from miles around for many years to come.