From sourdough bread starters to roller skating, many people took up new hobbies during the initial pandemic lockdowns. Some of these hobbies were discarded as soon as they were taken up. Others developed life-long interests that will outlast any COVID restrictions.
For North Park’s Ben Smith, his lego models of local buildings are more than just a diversion – the brick-and-mortar buildings he memorializes have given him a deeper connection to the community.
“All those places are really places that that we love that just have an awesome community. And that’s what I was really trying to capture,” Smith said.
It started as a way to remember his favorite places while his family could not visit them. The Smith family may not be able to eat inside Tribute Pizza or shop at Pigment or visit St. Pat’s, but they could build tiny models of those places. When Smith started posting the miniatures on Instagram, his page quickly became popular with others nostalgic for their favorite North Park hangs. Each time he posted a new place, he would be flooded with others sharing their memories with him. Maybe a commenter met his wife at Soda Bar or someone saw the best show of their life at the Casbah. He has learned many people’s stories and made new friends through sharing his hobby.
“It really teaches me to keep going and build as many more as I can,” Smith said. He was even invited with his kids to visit a Lego workshop at LegoLand to see where the miniatures are built that fill the park. Smith had not visited LegoLand before although a touring Lego city exhibit is a childhood memory that may have seeded his own hobby.
Business owners struggling during the pandemic were particularly touched that their businesses meant so much to Smith and the community at large. Several businesses have included Smith’s models in their anniversary celebrations, including Phil’s BBQ and Soda Bar.
His creations also serve as an interesting documentation of the way the neighborhood’s landscape has changed. Smith built almost an entire intersection of 30th Street that is now completely outdated as huge developments replace older, smaller buildings. He has made three different versions of Soda Bar, including one of how it looked in 2008 before a remodel. Some models immortalize businesses now closed. Since the models are always on similar scales, he could eventually create a connected 30th Street and University Avenue, although each building might reflect a different moment in time.
Smith is inundated with requests of what to build next. Now he has a policy of accepting no bribes and making no promises on what will get built. This is especially true since his models have only grown in complexity since he began this hobby. With extra time afforded during lockdowns, he could bust out a model in a weekend with his kids’ help. More recent models take three to six months to complete. His Instagram page has not lost popularity as his posts slow down.
“It’s just grown and grown and grown,” Smith said of his hobby.
So detailed are the models that often features are missed on Instagram photos. For Food Bowl Market & Deli, he built tiny trolleys, as the Australian transplant termed them, that can only be seen in person because they are neatly put away in their designated area (Smith passes the Shopping Cart Theory test of self-governance even in a lego model setting).
As his kids have gotten older and more interested in video games, it has become a solo hobby for Smith. “I’ve kind of ruined some of it for them. Our lego projects now are so hyper organized and structured,” he admitted.
His kids may have outgrown the hobby but Smith takes it to new heights. In order to recreate murals on destinations like Shank & Bone, Smith learned Photoshop and Illustrator so he can turn photos into simplified animations printed on stickers. For graffiti, he uses a paint pen to recreate tags. On his ever-growing list of model ideas to choose from, he gravitates towards interesting architectural features or unusual colors to challenge his art in new ways.
Since he has already made many of his favorite local places, he now captures new memories in his models. After trips to Baja, Los Angeles and New York, he commemorated the vacations by building models of cherished restaurants. His next project will be local again, as after years of trying he is close to perfecting one of North Park’s most iconic structures: The Observatory. Follow @NorthParkLego on Instagram to see the completed venue in miniature.
