LEGO Architecture Reaches New Heights

So many choices, so little time. That is the predicament with far too many museums and monuments to fully experience in the average visit to Washington, D.C. The must see list for most visitors include the Washington Monument or the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum or Natural History Museum. But dig further and there may be other unheralded attractions that may suit your interests. See it because you want to not because you have to.

Picking up the latest Where Washington edition from the hotel, there was feature about a LEGO exhibit at the National Building Museum. Still a child at heart with a fondness for the classic toy and an interest in architecture, I was there.

(image above & below: brickapolis)

Called LEGO Architecture: Towering Ambition, the exhibit features the classic brick toy constructed into 15 buildings from around the world by an architect who is also one of eleven LEGO Certified Professionals worldwide. Each model is assembled with details that reveal each buildings intricate design. It's a wonder how each one is made. Makes one want to pick up a LEGO set and to try your hand at your own design.

Empire State Building, New York City
(model height: 7'6"; LEGO pieces: 12,200)

The exhibit includes a play area filled with tons of bricks and a shop to purchase sets in the LEGO Architecture Collection. The collection features Rockefeller Center, Sears Tower, John Hancock Center, Empire State Building, Space Needle, Guggenheim Museum, Fallingwater and the White House.

The height of the displays range from 3 feet to 17 feet with the model of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai constructed using 450,300 LEGO pieces.

The exhibit opened July 3, 2010 and runs until September 5, 2011. Visit nbm.org for more information. Admission to the National Building Museum is free but there is $5 admission to this special exhibition. Tickets are available at the museum's information desk Mon-Sat 10am-4:30pm; Sun 11am-4:30pm.

White House model under construction

2 World Trade Center, New York City
(model height: 7'0"; LEGO pieces 14,250)

Transamerica Pyramid, San Francisco
(model height: 4'0"; LEGO pieces 4,800)

Gateway Arch, St. Louis
(model height: 3'0"; LEGO pieces 3,200)

Chicago Spire (project on hold), Chicago
(model height: 10'0"; LEGO pieces 17,450)

Sears Tower, Chicago
(model height: 9'6"; LEGO pieces 5,850)

Burj Khalifa, Dubai
(model height: 17'6"; LEGO pieces 450,300)