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Greenwich Village Immortalized, in LEGO!

Have you heard the exciting news? Village Preservation has released a special edition Greenwich Village building set made of genuine LEGO bricks! Composed of 449 pieces, the incredible miniature display depicts some of the most emblematic landmarks of the Village, from the Jefferson Market Library, to Stonewall, to the Washington Square Arch and Fountain, plus trees, street furniture, and even historically accurate signage.

Each replica, meticulously designed by creative agency Peacham in collaboration with Village Preservation, represents a unique aspect of Greenwich Village’s history, and together they form a familiar streetscape. Let’s take a look at the real buildings and structures upon which the set is based, and which you can now take home and reconstruct for yourself:

Village Cigars and the Christopher Street IRT Station

The beloved neighborhood business Village Cigars, which sadly closed in 2024 after a nearly-100-year run, is hereby memorialized in LEGO bricks! This set even includes the iconic red signage (which will hopefully remain on the actual building for generations to come), with lettering by designer Tré Seals, who replicated the curvature of the typeface to the particular specifications of the existing sign along the Seventh Avenue South facade.

The Christopher Street Station entrance, which fronts Village Cigars, is in position in this set as well. The station opened in 1918, four years before the Village Cigars building was constructed, and tells the story of buildings being cut through to make way for the extension of Seventh Avenue South at the time. Another great detail is the set’s adjacent street light, reminiscent of the historic Bishop’s Crook lamppost design.

Hess Triangle

No vignette of the triangular lot shaped by Seventh Avenue South and Christopher Street would be complete without the Hess Triangle, installed in 1922 when the land’s owner refused to relinquish it for the creation of the new avenue.

The Stonewall Inn

Here located alongside, and in reality, diagonally across the street from, Village Cigars et al, is the famed Stonewall Inn, hugely important to the history of LGBTQ+ rights in our city and country, and the first landmark to be designated for its ties to LGBTQ+ heritage.

The font of the Stonewall Inn signage is also based upon historic precedent, with another design by Tré Seals, referencing the vertical sign that hung outside Stonewall until 1989.

Jefferson Market Library

Use your imagination to hop a couple blocks east along Christopher Street, and you’ll arrive at Jefferson Market Library, the Victorian Gothic arches and clock tower of which are visible from so many Village vantage points. The replicated stone details are spot on, and the flowers are a nice touch, representing Jefferson Market Garden, a favorite neighborhood greenspace.

Row Houses of MacDougal Alley and Washington Square North

16 through 6 MacDougal Alley, from Village Preservation’s Historic Image Archive.
Washington Square North, “The Row.”

The two stretches of residential buildings, from MacDougal Alley and Washington Square North, represent two different typologies found throughout Greenwich Village. MacDougal Alley was originally constructed as a series of horse stables, which served the grand rowhouses of Washington Square North and West 8th Street.

Washington Square Park

Aerial View of Washington Square Park looking northwest across the park, photograph by Riccardo Spina. From Village Preservation’s Historic Image Archive.

Of course, no Greenwich Village-scape would be complete without Washington Square Park. The arch and fountain are prominently featured, and the set even includes little cherry blossoms and a translucent water piece for the fountain, which is typically only turned on for the warmer months — so it’s an early summer display, but you can always remove the flowers and water in the winter for accuracy!

Click here to purchase your very own set.

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