Lego road show brings the U.S. Capitol to Alderwood mall

LYNNWOOD — Finally, here’s a chance to see Washington, D.C., politics that are a roadshow instead of a sideshow.

Lego sculptures of the White House, Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol Building are among 10 American landmarks from D.C. and other places on display in plastic toy brick splendor at the Alderwood mall.

The opening of The Lego Americana Roadshow over the weekend drew curious shoppers and selfie takers, history buffs and Legomaniacs.

Smack dab in the mall’s main entrance, in that sacred spot that Santa Claus will soon occupy, is a 25-foot-long Lego replica of the Capitol building.

It originally took a team of eight Lego building elves about 1,700 hours to build the sprawling Capitol model. It is the largest monument in the free exhibit, which is here until Oct. 30 on its ninth tour stop this year.

Not far away, the Lego Washington Monument juts 16 feet high in the atrium across from a Legos station for hands-on play.

Grab a map to find the other models and answer questions such as: How tall is the statue of Abraham Lincoln inside the Lincoln Memorial? The real statue, that is, not the mall Lego Lincoln that sits inside the Lego monument bearing his name by Victoria’s Secret.

The 10-foot-long U.S. Supreme Court building model is in the food court. The White House is near Nordstrom. The Statue of Liberty that towers more than 9 feet is by J.C. Penney near a model of Boston’s Old North Church, of Paul Revere’s midnight ride fame.

The Liberty Bell by Cinnabon is true to size, complete with crack and the then-correct spelling “Pensylvania.” Kids can touch the bell, unlike the others that are roped off.

Even if you are one of those people who try to avoid malls at all costs, you might want to check out this Lego show-and-tell.

And, yes, you can try this at home.

The structures use standard pieces sold at stores. No special pieces were used to make the columns, shapes or faces of Americana.

All you need are about a million of the little toy bricks to make a display like this. And a lot of patience.

It took a team of 18 master Lego builders thousands of hours to make the models, which are constructed in sections and assembled on site.

That’s right, kids, it is possible to play with Legos for a living when you grow up. Use that as leverage to get your parents to spring $50 for the 561-piece version of the White House at the Lego store.

Better yet, enter the drawing to guess the number of Lego blocks in the Capitol and you can win $200 worth of loot from the Lego store.

“I just kept adding zeros,” said 13-year-old Marcus Becker of Shoreline, who entered the drawing after admiring the ginormous Lego Capitol monument. “It’s amazing. It took a lot of time and hard work and concentration.”

Trung Nguyen, a 52-year-old Everett aerospace worker, took panoramic photos of the Capitol with his cell phone. “This is exciting,” he said.

Nguyen went to D.C. over the summer but didn’t visit the Capitol or White House. “Too crowded,” he said.

Mala Kandiar of Kenmore brought her grandsons to the mall to see the display and buy some Lego kits for the boys’ collection.

“I started playing with the Legos when I was in India when my husband bought them for my brother in 1975,” she said. “It’s the one toy my grandkids don’t get tired of.”

Neither does she. “I create my own things,” she said.

Andrew Little, Lego roadshow spokesman, said Alderwood is the last stop for the tour this year.

“It has been extremely popular,” he said.

Some models will be on display in Washington, D.C., buildings for the holidays.

Andrea Brown at 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @reporterbrown.

If you go

The Lego Americana Roadshow will be on display at Alderwood mall in Lynnwood through Oct. 30. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

A free make-and-take of a mini Lego Washington Monument is noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 22 and 23.

More at www.alderwoodmall.com.

Models on display: Statue of Liberty. Old North Church. Jefferson Memorial. U.S. Capitol. Washington Monument. White House. U.S. Supreme Court Building. Lincoln Memorial. Independence Hall. Liberty Bell.