All ages are welcome to Come Build Westport on Sunday, March 18, from 3 to 5 pm, using 70,000 LEGO building blocks! This fun-filled event will take place at Christ and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 75 Church Lane.
The event, ideal for ages 8 and up, gives families the opportunity to make LEGO replicas of vintage homes and commercial buildings selected by the Historical Society. “The goal,” Stephen Schwartz, program designer, says, “is to make the public aware of the town’s rich architectural heritage, so that when they are out and about they might notice the design features that make some of Westport’s buildings notable.”
The list of buildings includes such iconic Westport landmarks as National Hall, Saugatuck Congregational Church, the former Westport Bank & Trust Building, Tavern on Main, Christ and Holy Trinity Church and the Society’s Wheeler House. The buildings are located near downtown on both sides of the Saugatuck River, and many are on the National Register of Historic Place.
The finished buildings are to be placed on a floor map of downtown Westport measuring 17 ½ by 25 feet, according to Schwartz. “Then we talk about the architectural history of Westport a little bit to make people aware of it,” he adds. “That’s the point of the workshop.” The final step is to reduce the floor map to an 11-by-17-inch Westport Architectural Treasure Hunt Map that the families take with them on a walking tour of downtown.
Participants are asked to arrive by 2:45 to check in! There must be at least one adult present to help the kids think through their project. Viewers are welcome at 3:45 pm at no charge.
Please register on our website. Admission: $35 per family donation and is limited to the first 50 families, then a waiting list will be started!
