Fairy Tale Castle exhibit at the Arboretum

PHOTO BY CAN TÜRKYILMAZ

The Dallas Arboretum’s Fairy Tale Castle exhibit had to be more than just a display — you’re likely to see children climbing all over the structures, experiencing the stories rather than just observing from a distance. So, two years ago, the board of directors decided to involve some professionals. That’s when longtime Preston Hollow residents Lance and Suzanne Charriere took the lead in bringing these fairy tales to life in true architectural form. The couple has been in the business for more than 30 years — Lance with Turner Construction and Suzanne with Corgan Associates. “I’m an outdoors person,” says Lance, who’s now an arboretum board member. I like to hunt and be around nature. “I thought this was kind of a nice thing to get involved in.” The Charrieres commissioned architecture firms to work pro bono, creating the real-life fairy tale castles for the juried show, which includes seven winners: “Beauty and the Beast”, “The Princess and the Pea”, “Aladdin”, “Rapunzel”, “The Little Mermaid”, “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters”. Lance outlined building guidelines and construction materials for the project to help ensure the castles would withstand weather conditions and the traffic from rambunctious children through the year. “We totally love and support the Arboretum,” Suzanne says. “We think it’s one of the greatest assets that Dallas has.”