Las Colinas
Video vignette of Downtown Las Colinas in the city of Irving, Texas.
The planned community of Las Colinas mixes high-rise office buildings with family homes set around golf courses and lakes. Visitors tour Mandalay Canals on gondolas, view the realistic sculpture Mustangs of Las Colinas, and check the time on the huge flower clock. The Toyota Music Factory complex offers global dining and concerts at the Pavilion. The Campion Trails greenbelt passes through one of the area parks.
"Our Destiny / Roadhouse Garden" by Prince and the Revolution.
Perhaps you never met Ben Carpenter, but if you have ever glimpsed Las Colinas, you have experienced him. His imprints are everywhere. Carpenter was a man whose standards were uncompromising, and he had a deep appreciation for beauty, quality, and cohesion. Once you enter Las Colinas, it is as if you’ve crossed an invisible line that delineates new territory. The surroundings speak for themselves. Buildings and homes are unique in character, yet harmonious with the environment and each other. The same level of quality is pursued in all common areas, medians, and parks. Carpenter was also inspired by art and culture that spanned the globe, and he was a master at infusing exotic elements into the native landscape of Texas. The influence of his travels is reflected throughout the community. The idea behind the Mustangs of Las Colinas originated from Johannesburg, South Africa. The Flower Clock and canals are replications of what he encountered in Italy. Even the most enduring, distinguishing element of Las Colinas, the protection offered by deed restrictions, is an adaptation from a city he visited in the heart of Brazil’s rainforest.
Las Colinas, with its humble beginnings as a cattle ranch, has grown exponentially in size with an ever-increasing base of commercial and residential development. It is internationally recognized as a model for master-planned communities. Dignitaries from around the world still visit, hoping to capture the essence of what is Ben Carpenter’s greatest legacy.
We live, we work, and we play in a place like no other, and our lives are enriched because of it. Ben H. Carpenter, the man, will be missed, but his life will always be celebrated in these hills called Las Colinas.