The iconic heads of four US Presidents sculpted on the granite face of Mount Rushmore, in the Black Hills in South Dakota, has marveled millions of visitors and inspired countless artists. Houston-based sculptor David Adickes first went to visit Mount Rushmore in the early nineties. The sight bedazzled him, but also disappointed him because the heads were high up and inaccessible. So Adickes decided to build something where visitors can get up close and personal with the heads of the presidents. Emboldened by his recent success at Huntsville, Texas, where he created a gargantuan statue of Sam Houston in 2003, Adickes set about creating his own “Presidents Park” just 40 miles away from Mount Rushmore in the town of Lead.

Photo credit: Pablo Iglesias Maurer/DCist