FROM THE PRESIDENT

With last fall’s completion of the John P. McGovern Texas Medical Center Commons, more than 500 parking spaces exclusively for patients and visitors are now available. The Commons is approximately one block or less from virtually every TMC institution, including Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas Medical School and Dental Branch, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital and Texas Heart Institute, The Methodist Hospital, and Memorial Hermann and Texas Children’s Hospitals.

The Commons, located at the intersection of Bertner and Moursund, is not your average parking garage. In designing the facility, architects took great care to make it aesthetically compatible with neighboring buildings, hence it looks nothing like a garage. But a garage it is. The entrance, located at 6550 Bertner Ave., is marked by a 45-foot tall by 56-foot wide stone inscription in honor of John P. McGovern, M.D., for whom the building is named, and exemplifies the commitment of medical professionals who choose to practice here. On either side of the entrance are two six-story water walls. The facility could easily be mistaken for an upscale office complex, but it’s actually a multi-use building that houses two floors of basement-level and four floors of above-ground parking, as well as dining, shopping, meeting, and banking facilities.

The building serves as a “commons” ... a gathering place for the enjoyment and convenience of the tens of thousands who come here to seek medical care, education and employment. The ground level is home to “Waterside Court,” a food court offering a Starbucks, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Great American Cookies, Kim Son, KFC, and Luther’s Bar-B-Que, along with the Waterside Café. Inside dining with TV is available as well as outside dining with views of the lawn and water walls. On level six, the top floor, is Trevísio, a restaurant featuring critically acclaimed cuisine, as well as Greenworks Flowers and Southwest Bank of Texas.

The next time you’re in the Texas Medical Center, visit the Commons and experience how easy parking can be. The Commons is open and waiting for you, and offers 511 parking spaces, replacing the “K” Lot, which offered 457 spaces. As our ever-growing “medical city” expands, so does our need to accommodate patients and visitors. This unprecedented growth is proof of the Texas Medical Center’s premier status in the field of medicine.

E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/02_01_03/page_27.html