A New Hamburg, Ont. man is recreating the community’s heritage buildings in Lego. Michael Horner, known locally as “Lego Mike,” began building with Lego during the COVID-19 pandemic. “During the COVID lockdown, I did about 20 jigsaw puzzles and after 20 jigsaw puzzles, I was looking for something else to do,” Horner said. Horner then transformed his basement into a massive Lego workshop. He first built a Lego Harley-Davidson motorcycle before turning his attention to architecture and local buildings. Horner now uses photographs, research and computer-aided design software to create detailed Lego replicas of buildings in New Hamburg. “I’m a bit of a computer geek because I worked in computers,” he explained. “I did the library in town and then Castle Kilbride and then got a little more ambitious and started doing Peel Street in town.” The building process can take days or, for larger projects, like Peel Street, several summers. “I kind of do my research and I take photographs in different angles and you have to do it brick by brick,” Horner said. He then orders the pieces he needs through Lego marketplaces, including BrickLink, with many parts sourced from Canada. Horner said his wife, Bonnie, also helps him sort the Lego pieces. “We got to get this out of the basement” But now, some of his builds have moved out of his basement, and into the front window of the former Murray’s Clothing and Footwear. The replicas have attracted attention from residents, visitors and local groups with people stopping to look at the displays and sometimes bringing their children and grandchildren. “We just thought, well, we got to get this out of the basement where more people can see it and hopefully we can come up with some sort of permanent spot in this building for Mike’s work,” said co-owner of the building, Lyle Cressman. Although Lego is a popular pastime among children, the display is drawing in fans of all ages. “It’s adults who really connect with it because everybody’s played with Lego at some point in time in their life,” Cressman said. Horner said the response has been encouraging, particularly when people recognize a building they have passed many times. “People ask me how I’m doing, what I’ve done, or, ‘Can I come back and bring my grandkids with me?’ That’s what it’s all about.” There are hopes the collection could eventually have a permanent home in New Hamburg. Horner said he would like the models to remain in the community beyond his own lifetime. For him, the replicas are more than Lego projects. They are a way of documenting how New Hamburg looks today. “It’s a snapshot in time,” Horner said. “Five or 10 years down the road, people will be saying, ‘Oh, I remember that store. I remember that building.’” Horner said he hopes to continue building for as long as he can.
