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| CNU's LEGO Gregory P. Klich Alumni House. Image courtesy of Benjamin Leistensnider/CNU |
LEGOs are one of my favorite toys. You can build anything with them, create stories, blow everything up, and then start from scratch again! When I was young, I spent many a weekend in my basement playing with LEGOs. As I grew up, I still remained captivated by the bricks. Due to space constraints, it became less practical for me to continue to actively building sets. I shifted to playing LEGO video games and watching the new LEGO Masters competition TV show.
Between April and August of this year, I was furloughed from my job due to the global pandemic. During that time, I did my best to keep sane and safe. I searched for things that would bring me joy. Lots of people seemed to have done the same thing during this time. Some started baking, exercising, or Animal Crossing. Others picked up long-lost hobbies. For me, I picked LEGO building back up. It was a joy I could get sucked into and momentarily forget the problems of the world.
Through internet sleuthing, I discovered the LEGO Digital Designer program, where you can build your own LEGO creations on the computer. Once you design your build, the program is able to tell you how many of each brick piece you need so you can build it in real life!
After I posted a couple of designs on Facebook, I received a message from my alma mater's Senior Director of Alumni Engagement, Baxter Vendrick. For the Christopher Newport University (CNU) Gregory P. Klich Alumni House, he was looking for something that would spark the interests of "kids and kids at heart" on tours of the house. He had seen my creations, and thought a CNU-themed one would fit the bill. So he challenged me to design a LEGO model of the Alumni House.
Who was I to say no to a challenge like that?
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| The Gregory P. Klich Alumni House Designed by Glavé & Holmes Architecture |
CNU is rife with Neo-Georgian buildings, an architectural style which is relatively easy to translate into LEGO bricks. Like LEGOs, Neo-Georgian architecture features a lot of straight lines and right angles. If there are angles present, they usually aren't too crazy. I'm not at a skill level yet where I feel comfortable with lots of bends and curves (Sorry Ferguson Center), so this was a project I knew I could do well.
It took about three days to design the first draft of the model in the LEGO Digital Designer program. The design used around 3,700 bricks. I based this draft off of pictures I had already taken of the building and pictures found on the internet/GoogleEarth.
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| Progress shot creating the first draft of the Alumni House |
Once I had Baxter's seal of approval on the first draft, I started refining it to be more accurate and better-looking. I visited campus and closely studied the House to capture the details I had previously missed. Another important feature I added during this time was interior supports -- very important if I wanted the model to survive past the year 2020. The model now had 5,700 pieces.
Before I started building, Baxter asked me what the model's estimated measurements were. The model was 25" x 20" x 12". Baxter got back to me with bad news -- the model was too big. Its intended location was a shelf in the Alumni House's Davis Library. The shelf could accommodate the length and the height, but it was only 12" deep. At 20", my Alumni House was 8" over the maximum possibility. Rather than start from scratch to resize it, I decided to take the King Solomon route: cut the design in half, and only build the front. Testing my hypothesis, I found I could indeed make it work. Everything needed for a complete front-view could be included!
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| Designed backside of the Alumni House |
Once pieces were ordered, the next few weeks were filled with waiting for all the LEGO shipments to arrive. It was like Santa was able to give me the instruction manual on Christmas Day, but the LEGO pieces arrived 2-3 weeks later in January! It was agonizing. Once everything was there, I built the House over 2 days. (By comparison, it took over a year to build the human-sized Alumni House. Watch out Whiting-Turner, there's a new contractor in town!)
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| Laying the brick foundation |
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| First floor completed of the main block of the Alumni House! |
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| Second floor done, starting on the base of the chimneys and some of the roof interior supports |
More tweaking occurred after "finishing" the build. Looser elements were also glued down with Le-Glue.
Finally, it was time to bring the Alumni House home to CNU. Driving with the model was not as bad as I imagined it would be. I placed it in a tray and secured it with a seatbelt. I drove very cautiously, closer to how my mom would like me to drive all the time. All in all, it arrived safely in one piece!
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| LEGO Alumni House in front of the human-sized Alumni House Image courtesy of Benjamin Leistensnider/CNU |
It felt wonderful to slide the model onto its shelf in the Alumni House's Davis Library. Each step of the project had been so much fun for me. And now, that joy and fun will hopefully transfer to all who see the model on tours of the House!
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| LEGO Alumni House in the Davis Library Image courtesy of Benjamin Leistensnider/CNU |
Fun Facts
The model is made of 3,239 bricks!
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| Backside of the LEGO Alumni House Image courtesy of Benjamin Leistensnider/CNU |
The font used on the stickers is "Trajan Pro" -- the official CNU font and the font used on the human-sized Alumni House.
The ship's wheel on the back of the model is a nod to the University seal. It can also spin!
The anchor in the garden out front is a nod to the nautical ties of Christopher Newport and of the surrounding community. Unlike the building, I took artistic liberties with the landscaping. There isn't an anchor in the garden [yet].
Along with my name being on the back, I hid my initials on the inside.
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| Hidden initials built into an inner wall |
I still have the plans for the complete model that includes the backside. They're ready to be used, should the desire ever arise to construct the whole building. Just throwing that out into the ether....
Unlike the statue at the front of the school, the LEGO Captain Chris has a hook for a hand. I am pro-hook. My design, my interpretation.
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| LEGO Captain Chris Image courtesy of Benjamin Leistensnider/CNU |
LEGO Chris's cape was originally a blue Batman cape. I cut the bottom so it would be a straight line.
Chris's chest piece and pants are gray because those were the colors of the walkaround mascot's clothes when I played him. Since I've graduated, Chris has received a brand new blue suit.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to CNU Plant Operations for building a plexiglass case for the model! This will ensure the model's safety, cleanliness, and longevity.
Thank you to Ben Leistensnider for the gorgeous photos of the model, and for letting me use them for this blog!
Thank you to Baxter Vendrick for the initial challenge, working through all the logistical issues with me, and supporting alumni wherever you can!
Last but not least, thank you to my Mom and Dad for encouraging my love of architecture and LEGOs throughout my life!
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| Me and my LEGO Alumni House on the Alumni House Portico Image courtesy of Benjamin Leistensnider/CNU |
