October 2, 2023

Words: Wilson Barlow

Photography: Courtesy of Warren Elsmore

What Can You Create With 250,000 LEGOs? Ask Warren Elsmore

More than 250,000 LEGO… That’s what U.K.-based artist and author Warren Elsmore used in “Brick City,” his exhibition recreating iconic architecture across every continent (yes, even Antarctica is represented). Among the 37 sites he “built” are the vibrant streetscapes of Old Havana and the Painted Ladies of San Francisco, along with monumental structures like St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, the latter taking 100 hours and 3,000 bricks to construct. There’re a whopping 9,000 in his New Orleans scene, where LEGO minifigures are celebrating Mardi Gras. See them all at the National Building Museum in Washington, through spring 2025.

a replica of San Francisco's Painted Ladies made of LEGO bricks
a replica of New Orleans made of LEGO bricks
a replica of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow made of LEGO bricks
Brick City, a LEGO exhibition

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