Back in the summer, we featured the work of a LEGO fan who goes by the name Bricked1980 (see: LEGO Modular Building Post Office & More!) He started out with customizing some of the official LEGO Modular Buildings, which eventually led to designing his own structures from scratch. His custom LEGO post office is a particularly popular model. In fact, it is so good, that for a while LEGO fans thought it was going to be the next official LEGO Modular Building. 🙂
The reveal of the 2019 LEGO Modular Building, #10264 LEGO Creator Corner Garage left some LEGO fans unsatisfied. (You can read more about this set here: 2019 LEGO Modular Corner Garage Coming!). While the set is nicely designed, it is clear that LEGO is moving away from the much beloved older style LEGO Modular Buildings to embrace the architectural style of the 1950s. Both the #10260 LEGO Creator Downtown Diner and the #10264 LEGO Creator Corner Garage features the curving forms, long horizontal lines, and simpler decorations of Art Deco architecture.
Art Deco is an architectural style that people either love or hate. The bold lines, distinct curves, and vivid colors are very different from the architecture of other periods. While buildings from other styles bland together well, even if they were built decades or even centuries apart, Art Deco stands out with its distinct features and can’t be ignored. Some LEGO fans love this fresh and new direction, and are even inspired to start their LEGO Modular Building collection. Others are not so happy with the changes and feel that the style and colors of the #10260 LEGO Creator Downtown Diner and the #10264 LEGO Creator Corner Garage are too different to mesh well with the previous LEGO Modular Buildings. Thus, the lovely design of the LEGO Modular post office is being discussed again.
LEGO fans have been requesting Bricked1980 to release instructions for his LEGO Modular post office, and now that it is clear that not everyone is happy with the 2019 LEGO Modular Building, there are even more requests. Bricked1980 did say that he has plans to release instructions, although he is not sure when he will have the time. For the time being, he updated the post office with Christmas decorations, and even wrote a little story for it, titled, “Twas the night before Christmas…”. You can read it below.
Twas the night before Christmas, and all the kids at Brick Square were getting excited, building snowmen and putting up the Christmas tree. The children had been busy writing their lists to Santa. They handed their letters to the postman, who was loading up his van ready for the last mail run of the day. He set off in to the snowy night with his precious cargo, but by now the snow was falling thickly. Then, there was trouble! The post van hit a snowdrift much bigger than usual. Stranded in the snow, the quick thinking postman grabbed his phone and telephoned ahead. Meanwhile back at Brick Square everything was silent and the children were feeling anxious. It was getting late and the postman should have returned by now. Just then, a friendly whistle sounded in the distance and the air was suddenly filled with the sweet smell of steam. It was Santa! He had ditched his reindeer and sleigh and instead opted for good old-fashioned steam power, courtesy of The Old Workhorse Traction Engine. (Don’t forget that The Old Workhorse is on LEGO Ideas. Please spare a couple of minutes to give it your support if you’d like to see it made as a real LEGO set. Anyway, shameless self-promotion out of the way, lets continue the story…) The Old Workhorse arrived at Brick Square carrying Santa himself and all the presents for the children. And, just in case you wondered what happened to the postman. Don’t worry, he made it back home in time for Christmas Day! THE END!
Fun story, isn’t it? And great pictures too! If you would like to see more close-up images, visit the Christmas at Brick Square flickr gallery. And, you might also feel inspired to dress up your own LEGO Modular Buildings with some Christmas decorations!
What do you think? How do you like the LEGO Modular post office and the Christmas story that goes with it? Do you decorate your LEGO displays for the holiday season? Feel free to share in the comment section below! 😉
And you might also like to check out the following related posts:
I hated the Diner because it really misses the point of a stand alone car culture icon. I also disagreed with about everyone about the Corner Garage. I really like it and, for me, it puts the Diner in a whole new light.
Now I see the Diner — devoid of it’s upper stories with it’s marquee leaned down to an architectural feature rather than living space — with the Corner Garage as it’s neighbor.
Bricked1980’s post office is gorgeous and fits into the modular city seamlessly.
Yes, the Diner and the Garage do complement each other very well. I remember reading somewhere from one of the designers that the idea with the Diner was that an older building (the tan part) got refreshed with an Art Deco style façade. Having the older building as the base of the diner allowed it to fit better with the other Modulars. However many LEGO fans stripped the Diner out and made it a stand-alone, one story building.
Now, however, we have the Corner Garage to go with the Diner, and they could easily make their own city block together. The designer did mention that the Garage is meant to be more in the outskirts of the city, rather than with all the fancy older Modulars.
For those who are fans of the older Modulars, the Post Office could be a wonderful addition. Hopefully, instructions will be available soon for those who would like to build it. 🙂
I had no problem with it being Deco. Not even the neon colors. That fits right in with the concept of a diner. I just don’t think you modify a standing building to add a diner. That’s a coffee shop and it has a different look as well as function. They might have made it a coffee shop if that’s where they were going.
Anyway, if Europeans don’t understand diner culture then that’s as understandable as all the Americans who were upset in 2013 because they didn’t get the Christmas market concept when that addition was made to the Winter Village. Me? I’m adding stalls on to mine. And then I want a pony ride for the kiddies at the opposite end of the carousel.
That’s an idea to have the auto zone as a separate part of that theoretical modular city. …for folks who have that kind of space. 😄 As for me, it’s all academic as they sit on the shelves in my son’s apartment.
“it is clear that LEGO is moving away from the much beloved older style LEGO Modular Buildings to embrace the architectural style of the 1950s. Both the #10260 LEGO Creator Downtown Diner and the #10264 LEGO Creator Corner Garage features the curving forms, long horizontal lines, and simpler decorations of Art Deco architecture.”
This doesn’t make any sense. Art Deco was most popular in the 20’s and 30’s, and was almost entirely gone by the 50’s.
Tom, LEGO puts both the Downtown Diner and the Corner Garage in the 1950s in their own description of the sets. They specifically state that the Downtown Diner was inspired by the late Art Deco style called Streamline Moderne which emerged in the 1930s and lasted well into the 1960s. 🙂
I like them both ( diner and garage) . Keep in mind that if you look at a city not everything matches up. From color to size. If it’s a business you want it to stick out so people can see it. Also ( in just my opinion) I think that if everything matches too close together, that it might look a little boring. In fact, I was thinking of adding the ninjago city , to sort of make my Chinatown.
Those are very good points. There are people already complaining about the Winter Village sets, saying that they have too many similar features and the collection lost its freshness.
I love this modular so much! I hope instructions will be available soon! Speaking of holiday decorations, I should decorate my modulars too!
The Post Office is fantastic. I am new to MOC and trying out different ideas and building techniques, and the Post Office is very inspiring in that regard. I’d like to try my own version before I see the instructions, see how it comes out, but I am definitely looking forward to instructions. And I must admit, this discussion about the Diner as complimentary to the Corner Garage has me rethinking how I feel about the Diner. I may end up picking it up after all!
Melanie, you are not the only one rethinking the diner! By itself, it was sticking out too much, but with another set from the same era, they blend in more smoothly. 🙂
This is so wonderful! I would love the post office! Can’t he add it to Ideas? I’m sure it would get enough votes!
Like others, I would love to build this! So pretty! If he ends up not releasing instructions, it might be possible to recreate the whole thing by all the pictures in his flickr album. Build it in LDD first, then with real bricks.