Minneapolis man recreates local landmarks with Legos

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - About a block from Lake Nokomis, there's a coffee shop where customers come to escape the daily grind. But inside the corner cafe sits a tiny tribute to the neighborhood hangout.

How he got his start

The backstory:

Jeff Esler has been coming to Nokomis Beach Coffee for caffeine and conversation every morning for more than two decades.

Since he's always had a love of Legos, about a year and a half ago, Esler made a small scale replica of his favorite coffee shop, complete with miniature versions of himself and his daily coffee klatch.

"I call it the last supper. It's a bunch of us sitting around this table and each one of them, you can kind of recognize who the minifigures are. Most of my friends are like that's great. Some of them are like I don't look like that," said Esler.

Mini Monte Carlo

Local perspective:

Another Lego model of the Monte Carlo restaurant in the North Loop is also on display at the coffee shop.

With accurate reproductions of everything from the outdoor signs and patio to the signature bar that goes all the way up to the ceiling, Esler's attention to detail is jaw dropping.

"It's one of my favorite restaurants. It's been in Minneapolis since 1906 so it's got a lot of history. It's usually just my perspective. It's not super accurate but it will end up looking a lot like the real places," said Esler.

Building a hobby brick-by-brick

Dig deeper:

FOX 9 first met Esler nearly eight years ago, when he immortalized Nye's Polonaise Room with Legos about a year after the beloved piano bar and restaurant in northeast Minneapolis closed its doors.

"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 at the time.

It is now one of a handful of Lego models in his mancave that includes Gluek's bar in downtown Minneapolis, the home of the Jucy Lucy Matt's Bar, the Split Rock Lighthouse along Lake Superior and a gas station designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Cloquet.

Esler says each project takes thousands of bricks and 40 to 50 hours to build.

"I'll sit down here at noon and all of a sudden it will be midnight and it will feel like an hour so its kind of fun to get really into doing things like that," said Esler.

What's next:

Esler's latest Lego creation is the Riverview Theater in South Minneapolis, which is filled with mini figurines, including a row of Jokers from the Lego Batman set.

As much as he wants to keep them, Esler says part of him wants to sell or give his Lego landmarks away.

But he has no plans to stop recreating some of Minnesota's most recognizable places one brick at a time.

"They are cool enough to be maintained. They have a little Americana. A little bit of history," said Esler.