Minneapolis man immortalizes Nye's in Legos

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - Nye's Polonaise Room had its final last call just over a year ago.

But a Minneapolis man has his own way of keeping his favorite bar's memory alive.

Since he was a little boy, Jeff Esler has loved making things out of Legos. So what better way to make a tiny tribute to the legendary watering hole where he met his wife?

Esler made a two feet by one foot long model of Nye's Polonaise Room entirely out of Lego bricks.

"It was a combination of I want something to do and I want one of these little projects. So why not do Nye's or something everyone recognizes? So that's what I did," Esler said.

Four months, 1,000 Legos and about $300 later, he has his own mini-Nye's, with jaw-dropping details of the now closed institution that was open for 66 years.

If you take the roof off, inside, the bar is populated with miniature versions of the bartenders and regulars, as well as the Chopin Room, and the piano and polka bars.

"A lot of people coming over to check it out. A lot of offers to buy it. I told one guy I'd give it to him for $1,000, but I never heard anything back from him. Maybe that was too high," he said.

For now, Esler is content for his labor of love to sit in his man cave.

But he believes it's a building block for Nye's lasting legacy.

"I didn't think it would turn out as nice as it did to be honest. I wasn't sure what it would look like. It's not easy to get things perfect," Esler said.

Esler says he's not sure what his next project will be.

He's thinking about taking a crack at the old Grain Belt Brewery, or his new favorite bar, Northbound Brew Pub in south Minneapolis.