How many Legos = 1 library?

Answer: Teens used 25,000 bricks for Central Library model

The boys showed off their initial "draft" model at the topping out ceremony and made contact with the local Lego club (whose members are grownup Lego collectors and enthusiasts) to get tips on design and Lego brick selection.

"They helped with the scale, getting discounts on Legos and came up with ideas for the dome," Micah said.

In the Ohanian garage, starting in January, the boys spent weekends and spring and summer holidays - 250 hours in all -- erecting walls, forming the dome and auditorium and adding in "landscaping" and little Lego figures. (Contributors to their project will get a figure placed in their honor on the model and their names on a donor board.)

"At first we wanted to do it to scale," Micah said.

But he soon realized that the model would have to be 5 feet tall if it was based on the height of the Lego figures. It also would not have fitted into the Rayder van for transportation to the real library.

The library's stand-alone auditorium was larger than the main building scale to able to accommodate six rows of seats occupied by little Lego figures. Its color differs from the real building, an example of the Scripps Ranch boys' artistic license.- Roger Showley

The boys used photos and then a set of construction drawings and met Quigley, who encouraged their work. He used his own model, slightly smaller and made out of wood, to talk up the project that's been on the drawing boards for more than 30 years.

Micah said early ideas, like including the two-level underground parking garage, were dropped. He and Evan applied some artistic license to add color to what is essentially an all-natural concrete look. They considered building out the interior, floor by floor, but realized it would add too much weight to what is more than a 50-pound model, including the table it sits on.

Looking to the future, Micah said he may consider going into architecture as a career -- he shadowed a local architect to get a sense of what the job is like -- but lately has toyed with going into politics, after seeing what work has to go in to get a civic project built.

As for more Lego models, he has one big idea he'd like to tackle:

"Depending on if the city actually does this and the project is pushed through and gets approval, I'd like to make a Chargers stadium."


