San Antonio Community Hospital’s iconic fountain at the front entrance has been a gift to patients, visitors and employees for decades – and will continue to be such when construction of a new, redesigned fountain is completed later this year.

The original fountain was deconstructed to make way for a major expansion project underway at the hospital, but some of the original stones have been retained and will be scattered throughout the hospital campus. Stones in the original and new fountains were placed in a circle formation – a nod to Native American symbolism, said landscape architect Bob Clark.

“The ring of stones was used by Indians to give thanks,” said Clark, a landscape architect who worked on the original fountain design and the redesign. “They would go into the center of the ring and give thanks for the sun coming up, the sky, the rain, and for their children.”

The water in the fountain depicts life – from birth to death, said Clark, who incorporated the area’s diverse history into the new fountain.

“This new design pays homage to the original inhabitants of this area – the American Indian culture that was here,” he said.

The main fountain and smaller fountains throughout campus are an important healing tool for patients and visitors who come to see them, and will be designed not only to be aesthetically beautiful, but psychologically soothing as well, Clark said.

“We want little resting areas where people can come and sit and catch their breath a little,” he said. “We want to help our patients heal, and for our visitors to absorb the tranquility that flowing water imparts as they go to see their loved one or dear friend.”