I have visited Williams Square in Las Colinas several times in the last 24 years. Every time I visit I am impressed and amazed by the beauty and magnitude of the Mustang Sculptures that are the centerpiece of Las Colinas. 
In 1973 Ben H. Carpenter had a vision for Las Colinas that would transform his family’s ranch land into a world class urban development. At the center of the community would be a plaza that would be reminiscent of the plains that wild mustangs roamed early days of Texas.
The Mustang was a descendant of the horses brought to America by the Spaniards. Mustangs roamed northward to Texas from Mexico and the western United States. Mr. Carpenter commissioned master sculptor Robert Glen to create a sculpture that could be viewed form any angle and would depict the wild and untamed nature of Mustangs crossing a stream of water.
Robert Glen http://www.robertglen.com was born in Kenya. His interest in art and nature was formed at an early age. At 16 he served as an apprentice for a Taxidermist in Denver, Colorado. This is where his interest in design and sculpture took hold. He returned to Kenya and merged his skills as a taxidermist and an artist to create sculptures of native animals. Glen is renowned world wide. His works are in collections all over the world including that of Queen Elizabeth II.
Glen sculpted the horses using a fiberglass resin, at his studio in Kenya. The sculptures were then shipped to a foundry in England where they were cast in Bronze 1½ times their size. From there they were shipped to Texas for installation. Glen received his commission in 1976 and completion was done in 1984. Together the 9 bronze “Mustangs of Las Colinas” is the largest equestrian sculpture in the world. http://www.mustangsoflascolinas.com
Williams Square was dedicated in 1984 to Dan and Caroline Williams for their contribution to the community and the arts. The Las Colinas development as well as the Mustang Sculpture has received awards form the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Urban Land Institute and the National Sculpture Society.
The address for Williams Square is 5205 N Connor Blvd. There is a museum located in the west wing of the Williams Tower. It is open Wednesday through Saturday 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. There are many good restaurants in Las Colinas. A great date night might include getting to the plaza before 5:00 to visit the museum and then a stroll around the sculpture followed by dinner at Café Cipriani http://cafecipriani.com which is down the street.
As I photographed the Mustangs I was impressed with the detail that was included in the sculpting. 
The horse’s manes and tails showing the speed of these large animals galloping through a stream on the plains of Texas. The animal’s muscles and veins evoked a feeling of intensity that was palpable. Please view my slide show but I really encourage you to visit the Mustangs of Las Colinas.
Comments