Lego's new Guggenheim set. Image courtesy of Lego.com

A museum-grade Lego gift for Frank Lloyd Wright’s birthday

The toy firm marks the 150 anniversary of Wright’s birth with a replica of the architect’s Guggenheim museum

The Solomon R Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan was not an easy creation, even for the brilliant US architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

From the initial commission in 1943, through to its eventual opening in 1959, Wright created even hundred sketches, and six separate sets of working drawings for the building. Initially an inverted ziggurat, with artists studios attached the main building, the Guggenheim was beset with numerous difficulties during its development and construction, including high post-war inflation and the death of the foundation’s founder, Solomon R. Guggenheim in 1949.

 

An instruction page from Lego's new Guggenheim set. Image courtesy of Lego.com
An instruction page from Lego's new Guggenheim set. Image courtesy of Lego.com

 

Happily, the creators of this miniaturised version of Wright’s iconic building will not have to overcome similar tribulations. To mark 150th anniversary of Wright’s birth, Lego has launched a scale-model kit of the Guggenheim. The firm recommends makers of this 744 piece set are aged twelve or over, and, perhaps with an eye the likely market for its on-going Architecture range, state that the new model is “suitable for display in the home and office.”

 

An instruction page from Lego's new Guggenheim set. Image courtesy of Lego.com
An instruction page from Lego's new Guggenheim set. Image courtesy of Lego.com

Making it through all 147 stages of the instruction manual won’t quite take 15+ years, as WRight’s original did, though for some, less adept Lego builders, it might just feel that way. Find out more about the kit here, and for greater insight into this masterful architect’s life and work take a look at our Frank Lloyd Wright books.