WILLIAMSBURG — William & Mary has launched a hands-on project that blends history, creativity and community spirit: a 64-square-foot model of its historic campus made out of Legos.
Construction began Aug. 20 and is estimated to continue through July 2026, with students, alumni and members of the broader William & Mary community invited to place bricks during scheduled events. When completed, the model will include as many as 200,000 pieces and be permanently displayed in the visitor center of the Sir Christopher Wren Building — the oldest building on campus.
The project aims to replicate some of the university’s most iconic buildings, including the Wren Building and the President’s House, as well as a to-scale Lego version of the Lord Botetourt statue.
Bruce Christian, a member of the Class of 1973 and sponsor of the project, placed the first official Lego pieces with his grandson, Maks. The second building session, held on the first day of classes last week, gave students the opportunity to participate under the guidance of Charles E. Fulcher Jr., director of Wren operations and events.
A student presses down a Lego that will help create part of the Sir Christopher Wren Building. Lelia Cottin-Rack/For The Virginia Gazette
Fulcher, who is overseeing the project, previously managed a similar Lego initiative in Washington, D.C., in 2019: a large-scale model of the Washington National Cathedral, whose construction is still in progress. That effort, he said, was inspired by a visit to Durham Cathedral in England.
“I knew Durham was building a massive model of their cathedral, and I thought, ‘That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever heard of,’” Fulcher said. “So I traveled there to talk with their staff, to learn how it worked, who they contracted, who designed it. All the logistical details.”
Though he brought the idea with him to William & Mary, Fulcher initially hesitated. “I didn’t want to be the guy who just does a Lego project wherever he goes,” he joked. But by 2023, interest on campus was strong. “Colleagues said, ‘Yes, this would be a lot of fun here.’ And I thought, ‘OK. I have the connections, the experience. Now I can make this happen.’”
The blueprints for the model are designed by Romão Santos with Sensational Bricks, an England-based company that specializes in custom-built Lego models. Fulcher works closely with Santos, going back and forth on architectural details.
“He’ll send me four possible ways to represent the walls and ask which one looks best,” Fulcher said. “Even now, the design isn’t fully finished — the trees are still being figured out. Apparently, trees are his nemesis.”
More than 200,000 Legos will be used to make a model of the historic campus at William & Mary, including part of the Wren Building. Lelia Cottin-Rack/For The Virginia Gazette
The first student-placed Lego bricks were done by members of the Class of 2025, whose commencement was affected by the ongoing renovations at the Wren Building.
“We wanted to give the Class of 2025 a little something,” Fulcher said. “Their Wren experience was disrupted, so we thought, let them be the first ones to bring the Lego version to life.’”
Fulcher, a 1999 William & Mary alumnus, also advises the Spotswood Society, a group of about 50 students who lead public tours of the Wren Building. He sees the Lego project as both a new educational tool and a physical metaphor for William & Mary’s emphasis on connection.
“The Spotswood Society shares the Wren with the public. We see relationships form every day — alumni, prospective families, tourists. We’re all about making connections,” Fulcher said. “And whether it’s just people admiring the finished model, or helping to build it, this project is another way to make connections.”
Before the building began, students, staff and faculty volunteers helped sort the initial 31,000 Lego pieces. Each piece is bagged, labeled and triple-checked for accuracy.
“There’s always the possibility of little errors slipping in,” Fulcher said. “Every step takes a lot of people.”
William & Mary alumnus Bruce Christian and his grandson, Maks, placed the first Legos that will make up the 64-square-foot model: the Wren Building’s west steps. Lelia Cottin-Rack/For The Virginia Gazette
Karena Richmond, a senior at William & Mary who works as a tour guide, said the project represents the same spirit that drew her to William & Mary.
“The slogan is, ‘Who comes here, belongs here,’ and it’s true,” she said. “I’m a tour guide, so I try to explain ‘community’ to families, but you can just look around and see it. People talking, laughing, taking photos — we just want to be together. I know when I graduate, I’m going to be proud to tell people I went to William & Mary.”
That spirit of belonging and legacy embodies how Fulcher sees the project, too.
“It’s a tangible representation of a philosophical idea,” he said. “The W&M community picks up pieces and puts them together, and good things come to life when we do that, when we all work together.”
He also hopes alumni will feel connected when they return to campus.
“So many people will be able to come back and say, ‘I helped build that little part there,’” he said. “They’ll know they played a part in something that will last here.”
Seniors Anna McClellan and Katherine Hunt echoed that sentiment after placing green Lego pieces that represent grass outside the Wren Building.
“We’ll come back in 50 years and say, ‘That’s the grass we put down,’” Hunt said with a laugh. “We are going to be the most obnoxious people about it, I guarantee you.”
When completed, the model will include as many as 200,000 Lego pieces and be permanently displayed in the visitor center of the Sir Christopher Wren Building — the oldest building on campus. Lelia Cottin-Rack/For The Virginia Gazette
“Oh, absolutely,” McClellan added. “That was the grass we put down. We did that.”
Future community build dates will be scheduled around major campus events, including Women’s Weekend (Sept. 12-14), Family Weekend (Oct. 3-5) and Homecoming (Oct. 16-19).
Lelia Cottin-Rack, lcottinrack@gmail.com
