Crocker Mansion
During the 2016-2017 school year, the members of the Crystal Springs Uplands School high school LEGO Club, CrystalBricks, collaborated to make this highly accurate 1:45-scale replica of the school’s historic Crocker Mansion, located in Hillsborough, California.
The mansion serves today as classrooms and offices for the school, but it was originally built in 1878 and occupied by the famous railroad tycoon and banker William H. Crocker. After his passing, his wife donated the mansion to education, forming the Uplands School for Girls, which has evolved into the co-ed school of today. This model consists of approximately 10,960 bricks and measures over 53″ x 41″ x 13″.
Design work for the model began with an examination of the mansion’s original blueprints and a detailed measurement of the building’s footprint. After establishing the 1:45 scale, techniques were developed for the different architectural elements of the mansion and compiled in LEGO® Digital Designer into the final design. This approach greatly facilitated construction of the model, as many simple-to-build elements were repeated throughout—a more appropriate building experience for the fledgling club than the significantly more complex models that would follow.
The model won Most Accurate Scale Model at Bricks by the Bay 2017. Today, it is on display at the CSUS Belmont campus.
