Lego set of Fallingwater unveiled
MILL RUN – Three years ago, Chicago architect Adam Reed Tucker rolled 17 shopping carts full of LEGO sets out of a toy store so he could learn more about the building blocks. On Friday, he used his newfound familiarity with a childhood toy to unveil his 811-piece LEGO set of the Frank Lloyd Wright house, Fallingwater, in Mill Run. “My hope is that my whimsical use of the LEGO brick as an elegant and sophisticated medium transcends its identity as a simple toy to make one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s greatest achievements come to life for all to take away and enjoy,” Tucker said.
The Fallingwater set is the latest addition to the LEGO architecture series, which includes the Wright-designed Guggenheim Museum and other famous landmarks such as the Empire State Building.
Lynda Waggoner, director of Fallingwater and vice president of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, said that the project started with a call from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, and progressed from there.
“This is an iconic project for an iconic building,” she said.
Waggoner said officials are “delighted” with the way the replica turned out, and noted that Wright said he learned about volume and space building with blocks.
Tucker said he wasn’t finding fulfillment in his traditional architecture job, and needed a change.
He likened LEGO blocks for architects to a pallet of colors for painters, and said they offer “charm and whimsy” to building.
“I’m trying to be an inspiration to people of all ages,” he said. “I thought LEGO bricks were a fun, playful way to do it.”
To build, he doesn’t use a computer or drawing, and instead relies on his mind to pull together a design.
He doesn’t use customized LEGO blocks, and his designs aren’t absolutely precise. Tucker said his goal is to show people that the basics are a useable to build something great – and imagination will fill in the design.
“There is no right or wrong answer, you’re just putting things together,” he said.
A larger model of the house that Tucker is continuing to build will be at Fallingwater through today. He estimated he has already used upward of 10,000 LEGO blocks in its construction.
Tucker has other creations on display at the Museum of Science and Industry, including several skyscrapers he designed with LEGOs.
He said that LEGO sets are “green” because they’re reusable.
“The LEGO bricks from the 1940s work with the bricks in 2009,” said Tucker, president of Brickstructures Inc.
The set has 811 pieces, and measures 6 by 7 by 10 inches. The sets are on sale at the Fallingwater museum store or online at www.fallingwatermuseumstore.org . Waggoner said that they can be another way for people to take something of the house away with them. Adam Reed Tucker, an architectural artist and developer of the LEGO Architecture series adds a few touches to a replica of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. The new Fallingwater LEGO set was introduced Friday afternoon at Fallingwater. Tucker constructed the larger display model soley out of LEGO bricks and will remain on display thru the weekend. Robert Esquivel/Herald-Standard