Springfield Lego fan built Hammons Tower, Historic City Hall, Stone Chapel all from bricks

"Let me show you a box of Lego that almost brings tears to my eye," Harold Moody said, picking up a small, faded box for a Lego 487 Space Cruiser, first released in 1978.

"My mom bought my son a box of Lego when he was about eight years old and not just a box, but this box right here," Moody said as tears welled. "We sat down and put it together, took it apart, put it together, took it apart, put it together; we'd done that quite a few times. I just fell in love with them (Lego) then."

That was 40 years ago. Today, Moody is gaining recognition for one of his most impressive Lego builds yet, a five-foot replica of Springfield's Hammons Tower. The Lego tower is on display at Bricks & Minifigs at 1570 E. Battlefield Road, Suite E. Store owner Philip Vice said folks have been visiting the store over the last week just to check out the tower.

Moody said he began collecting specific bricks for the tower as far back as 20 years ago, including the tower's 1,200 window frames. Little by little, Moody collected bricks from online sellers and his friends in the Springfield Lego Users Group, which he has been a member of for about a year.

Before he even started placing those 1,200 window frames, Moody took photos of Hammons Tower from every angle and scoured the internet for other shots to base his build on. Moody said he started constructing the tower's foundation about six different times before he finally got it just the way he wanted.

The interior of Moody's Hammons Tower is mostly made up of a interlocking pieces to hold it together soundly. To replicate the tower's tinted windows, Moody placed black cardboard behind the windows. A few Lego figures also appear to be taking a break at the tower's base.

While Moody's Hammons Tower is gaining widespread appreciation from amateur and advance Lego builders alike, it is just one of many impressive builds. Over the years, he's also built replicas of Springfield's Historic City Hall, Stone Chapel on Drury University's campus and even The Alamo in Texas. Most recently, The Alamo was on display at Springfield's Tremendicon at the Oasis Hotel and Convention Center.

While most of Moody's builds are replicas of building exteriors, he has completed one that is a full exterior and interior replica of his sister-in-law's house. The house's roof is removeable and reveals a quaint one-story interior, complete with family photos on the wall, a pizza in the kitchen and a grand piano in the dining room.

"If you want to know something about a building, try to build it with Lego," Moody said.

Moody constructs all of his Lego builds in his "man cave," a basement complete with a large Lego building table and millions of Lego bricks, plates, tiles, figures and other odds and ends. To keep things organized, Moody separated all of his pieces into the classic bright blue Lego Creator buckets.

The "man cave" is also home to many collectible Lego sets, some of which are over 30 years old, Moody said.

Looking toward the future, Moody said he has about a dozen ideas for potential builds. As for buildings, he said he'd like to try constructing the Keyhouse Manor depicted in the Netflix series, "Locke & Key." The Keyhouse is a haunting four-story Victorian-style manor with ornate details and rich exterior colors.

Moody said he also has an interest in recreating the borax 20-mule team wagons, which were used from 1883 to 1889 to transport borax out of Death Valley. Constructed of solid oak, the 20 wagons were designed to transport 10 tons of borax ore at once. The News-Leader suggested the Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Mosque, which Moody expressed interest in, too.

Springfield Lego Users Group

Moody may not build with his son anymore, but he's found a new group of enthusiast Lego builders to collaborate with through the Springfield Lego Users Group.

The Springfield Lego Users Group, commonly referred to as SGFLUG, was founded in 2018 by Bri Duncan, according to the organization's website. Today, the group is made up of about 40 members, Moody said.

"The versality of Lego is amazing and what one person sees and builds or creates, it helps challenge the imagination of others," Moody said. "The love of Lego and the fellowship just warms my heart; it makes me proud to be a member."

In June, Moody and a few other members of the Springfield Lego Users Group attended Brickworld in Chicago, a week-long convention dedicated entirely to Legos.

The Springfield Lego Users Group hosts meetings every first Saturday of the month from 1-3 p.m. at the Springfield-Greene County Library Station on Kansas Expressway. Meeting attendance is open to all ages for free. Children under 18 must be accompanied by guardians. Attendees should bring their own Lego bricks to play and build with.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Lego craftsman adds Hammons Tower to collection of impressive builds