The boys proudly show their section of the nave floor before placing it in the model.
Lego Build at Washington National Cathedral, DC
Ande Flagg
Hallelujah! God likes Legos too!
The boys knew we had something up our sleeves. They were used to us surprising them and keeping them guessing.
When they said, “Will this be any fun?”
We responded, “Nope, you’re going to be miserable!”
OK. Our conversation may have been more like this:
“What’s the surprise? This is a church. Where is the surprise?” the boys wondered.
“You’ll know it when you see it!” we replied.
While we were and still are church-goers, and the boys thought the huge church was pretty cool, they had no idea that we would be engaged in one of their favorite past-times-building with Legos!
For New Years of 2020 we stayed with our D.C. area family for a few days. Whenever we visited, we tried to find new ways to entertain the boys. It was easy to get into a rut.
There are only so many times that we wanted to muscle our way through the same tourist attractions or Beltway traffic. It was tempting to avoid adventure and stare at the shiny picture box at Nana’s apartment, but fortunately Adventure was calling!
Shaking History
Well before the advent of Lego building-blocks and the vision of modern-day Lego-builders, our founding fathers had a vision of a National Cathedral: a place of worship for ceremonies of state, specifically funerals. Modeled after European state affairs, George Washington must have believed that a gothic cathedral would be a suitable place for such needs.
A close-up shot shows the accurate details in the Lego build.
The construction of the National Cathedral officially started in 1907, 116 years after President Washington commissioned the building of “a great church for national purposes.” It was another 83 years (1990) before the National Cathedral was completed. Just 21 years later the cathedral was significantly damaged.
On August 23, 2011 the East Coast of the United States felt a 5.8 magnitude earthquake. This rare geological event that caused about $32 million in damage to the cathedral. Needless to say, no one saw this seismic event coming. The cathedral’s trustees needed to find a way to complete the extensive repairs.
The Gift of Giving and Building
This brings us back to the surprise for the boys. My mom learned of the National Cathedral “Lego build” fundraiser a few months prior to our visit. A friend of hers took her grandchildren and they gave rave reviews.
A “Lego build” is a large-scale, often crowd-sourced, building opportunity for those who are Lego enthusiasts. This Lego build was a cathedral, a HUGE cathedral!
Tim and I hadn’t visited the National Cathedral in a long time. We did not visit with the boys on any of our prior trips to the area. It seemed like the adventure to take on this visit.
Fog enshrouds Washington National Cathedral in downtown Washington, D.C.
It was a cold, foggy day. From the outside of the National Cathedral, I thought that it almost looked like Germany in late fall or winter (from what I’ve seen in pictures). The building looked mysterious, like something found in a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book, the Flagg family edition, of course.
Once we entered the building, we walked through the sanctuary and wandered through the nave. The boys wondered where the gift shop was. They concluded that must be where the surprise would be.
Then they saw a large sign.
Legos!
“Where are the Legos?!” they wondered aloud.
Then they saw a poster of a child wearing a construction hat, building with Legos in this seemingly ancient church.
No, they weren’t renovating the building with Legos, though I bet every elementary and middle school boy would think that was pretty awesome. The Legos were a fundraiser: building a 1:40 scale model of the National Cathedral using the power of a crowd-sourcing. Just like the American people helped to build the Washington National Cathedral originally, the American people are helping to repair it by building a giant Lego version.
Another view of the cathedral model shows even the gargoyles are involved in the build.
The model was a pretty remarkable achievement to behold, even as it was still in its early stages in January 2020. The finished product will be larger than a minivan. According to the website, the goal is that the Lego build will be complete in 2023, but covid may have slowed them down. (Please see note in “If you go”).
The boys asked if they could each add a few bricks. We (the parental units) had already discussed purchasing each boy about 25 bricks to add to the model. They were out of their minds with excitement.
Building with Legos instead of a boring visit to another national landmark caused them to bounce around like pinballs. As they later reflected on their experience, they loved the idea of contributing to a little piece of history.
Once we paid, the boys awaited their build time, about a 10-minute wait.
Finally, their appointment time came. A lady in an orange construction vest sat with the boys at a small table and they worked together to complete their designated section of the cathedral. Given the enormous size of the project, the cathedral plans have been broken down into hundreds of “bite-sized” sections.
The boys assembled their part of the nave floor with a little help from a volunteer.
The Flagg boys completed a small replica section of the nave floor. The tile design mimicked the “real thing”. The boys patiently took turns placing their bricks and following instructions. In about 20 minutes they completed their 50-piece brick floor.
Once the section of Lego floor was completed, the volunteer led them to the Cathedral model and the boys successfully installed the floor.
The Real Deal
Build complete, we quickly ambled to the sanctuary. We found the corresponding nave floor to the model the boys just completed.
The boys stand in “their” section of the cathedral. They built part of this nave floor with Legos.
We blew their minds again when we stood in the REAL section of the “boys’ floor”. Rarely do kiddos get to see a real version of the thing that they built with Legos. After all, we’ve never seen the real Millennium Falcon.
Did they have fun? The boys had a great time! They got to contribute to something greater than themselves with talents God had given them.
The artists of European gothic cathedrals understood that their artistic ability was a gift of God. They responded by creating art as worship to God. My guys got to give back to God in worship too – with Legos! Hallelujah!
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If You Go:
- The bricks cost $2 a piece. Sightseeing tours require tickets that can be purchased on the chapel’s website.
- Since the covid pandemic, there was a stall in the Lego project. The website gives information for contributing by way of a “build on-line” program. I also recommend calling ahead to see if they have opened or know when they might do so: 202-537-6200.
All of the decorative details are represented in the Lego model.
- The National Cathedral is enormous. It is the sixth largest cathedral in the world. There is a lot more to see than just the Lego build.
- The whole place is family friendly. They do offer tours of the whole cathedral; however, we looked around on our own and read the exhibit markers as we went.
- Keep in mind this is still an operational place of worship, so you may wish to call ahead or look online for best times to visit if you do not wish to attend worship. Check their website for tour details.
Columns rise from the floor of the cathedral.