Over 4 feet tall and detailed with over 13,000 tiny LEGO bricks, this sculpture of The Empire State Building was commissioned as the centerpiece of the Empire State Building’s new gift shop.

Located at the Empire State Building observation deck, It’s the ~highest~ LEGO sculpture in the world!

The top of the real Empire State Building is lit up every night in different colors. Most US holidays are commemorated with the familiar red, white, and blue lighting scheme that most New Yorkers know well. It serves as a beacon in the center of midtown Manhattan every night.

Atop the mast, Little Kong triumphs the climb.

The famous tapered look of the Empire State Building is due to “setback” laws, established in the 1920s, that require buildings to slowly recede as they get higher.

I really just like playing with the cars.

Buildings make interesting models, but adding the human element really makes the model come alive. This little street scene at the base of the model gets more attention than the building itself!

Along with lots of microscale taxis, the street scene includes a New York City red double-decker tour bus, a small yellow pedicab, a glass delivery truck, a Smart Car, an articulated bus, and a 3-wheeled traffic police vehicle (about to give a parking ticket!)

Above is a photo of the model installed at the Empire State Building’s observation deck gift shop.

in 2003, I’d created a less detailed model for a celebrity event at a galleria in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood. Situated as the centerpiece of an International Design Gallery, it model was flanked by works from over 50 international designers and celebrities, including Kenneth Cole, Sophia Lauren, and Courtney Cox. This older model has been broadcast on TV around the world and has been featured in LEGO Company marketing.

The real Empire State, nighttime lighting