Architecture

Empire State Building

A tall, handsome skyline piece that asks for patience with its tan tiles.

Brick Rated Score

3.9/5

Set 21046 · 2019

Pieces1,767

Minifigsn/a

Year2019

Set number21046

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The verdict

This one grew on me.

It looks a little plain in photos, then you finish it, stand it up at 55cm, and suddenly you get why people put it front and center on the shelf. The catch is honest: a big chunk of the build is placing the same tan grille tile over and over, so if you build for clever engineering you'll get restless. Come for the finished tower and the New York vibe, not for surprises along the way.

Best for: Architecture collectors and anyone with a soft spot for the New York skyline

The full review

What it is

The Empire State Building is one of those LEGO® sets that photographs shy and then floors you in person. At 55cm tall it was the tallest LEGO Architecture model made at the time it came out in 2019, and even years later it holds that presence. This is 1,767 pieces of pale tan and sand facade climbing up to a silver antenna tower, mounted on a tiled base that maps out Fifth Avenue and the streets around it, right down to six tiny yellow taxis parked at the curb. It's displayable from all four sides, which matters more than you'd think, because a lot of skyline sets only really work face-on. This one earns a spot in the middle of a shelf where people can walk around it.

The catch

Here's the honest part of the story. Of those 1,767 pieces, 684 are the exact same 1x2 tan grille tile, and over half the set comes down to just a handful of element types. That's a set that leans hard on repetition. Reviewers who love it and reviewers who cooled on it agree on the same fact, they just feel differently about it. Brick Architect gave it a warm recommendation specifically for Architecture fans, while Brickset's reviewer flagged that the process is too repetitive and the parts too samey to win over the wider LEGO crowd. The community landed at a solid 4.3 out of 5, which feels about right: well liked, not universally adored. And since it's retired, you're now looking at prices north of 200 dollars against the old 129.99 RRP, so the value math has shifted from fair to collector territory.

Who it's for

So who should grab it? If you love the New York skyline, or you're building an Architecture shelf and want a real centerpiece with height, this belongs on your list and you'll forgive the tiling. If you build mostly for the puzzle of it, the moments where a section clicks together in a way you didn't expect, this one will test your patience during those long grille-tile runs, and you should go in knowing that. It's not a set that surprises you page to page. It's a set that rewards you at the very end, when you stand it up, step back, and see a genuinely handsome tower that looks like the real thing. I came around to it slowly, and I think a lot of people do.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

The build splits into two very different moods. The central core is the fun part, built with a lot of SNOT (studs not on top) technique to create an inner skeleton that runs up through the tower. That structure is what makes the finished model rigid enough to lift by the top without it falling apart, and it keeps you from constantly fiddling to align tiny loose pieces, which is a real mercy on a build this tall. Then come the facades. Four sides, floor after floor, and this is where you settle in and place hundreds of grille tiles to make the ribbed window bands that give the real building its look. It's meditative if you're in the mood and a slog if you're not. Pacing-wise the base and core move quickly, then the middle stretch asks for stamina, then the crown and antenna give you a satisfying finish.

On pieces, don't come expecting a treasure chest of rare molds. The headline element is the 1x2 grille tile in tan, and you get 684 of them, so if you're a parts collector this set is basically a bulk supply of that piece in a useful earthy color. The base uses tan and sand tones for the streets with those six little yellow cars as the standout small detail, plus a printed nameplate for display. The value story is a mixed bag: nearly 1,800 pieces for 129.99 was fine at retail, but because so many of those pieces are duplicates, the parts-per-dollar figure flatters a set that's really a few elements repeated many times. Buy it for the finished tower, not for the parts bin.

Fun facts

01The real Empire State Building was structurally topped out in just 410 days, finishing twelve days ahead of schedule in 1931.
02It held the title of world's tallest building for nearly 40 years, from 1931 until 1970.
03The real tower gets struck by lightning around 25 times a year, and a lightning rod was part of the original 1931 design.
04At 55cm tall this was the tallest LEGO Architecture set ever made when it launched in July 2019.