Mark Lorah’s love of LEGO and his profession go hand-in-hand.
From a replica of the U.S. Capitol to the James Brown statue to “The Hand of God,” a sculpture based on Michaelangelo’s Creation of Adam on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the structural engineer has turned plastic building blocks into works of art.
It’s no surprise that he’s called on each year for the Augusta Museum of History’s Great Building Showdown which will be June 27-July 7 including the Independence Day holiday.
“The Augusta Museum puts a program together to recreate local historical landmarks,” said Lorah, who has created the iconic Augusta National Clubhouse as the show piece for this year’s exhibition.
Located at the end of Magnolia Lane, the white structure was built in 1854 by Dennis Redmond. The Founders Circle with the Masters’ logo in yellow flowers in the forefront of the clubhouse is the site for multitudes of tournament goers annually.
All these elements are included in Lorah’s piece.
It takes months of planning before the work can be built. The planning often takes longer than the actual building, he said.
The clubhouse alone, complete with banks of pink azaleas, required 20,000 plastic building pieces.
“You can’t do it without the azaleas,” he said.
He estimates the Founders Circle, and the Magnolia-lined driveway took another 20,000.
In previous years, Lorah has made the Sacred Heart Cultural Center, the Cotton Exchange and the Imperial Theatre.
His James Brown statue and Hand of God Sculpture come as a surprise to some people.
“Those are different pieces. So many people think LEGO and buildings. They don’t realize that it can be expanded into all types of art works,” he said.
In addition to Lorah’s works, there are several pieces from Matthew Hines’ collection. Hines has been in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest LEGO Star Wars set collection.
And there’s a village where children or adults can build their own creations.
Lorah is already thinking ahead. His Capitol sculpture will be on display at the Museum of History in 2026 in honor of the nation’s 250th birthday.
Admission to the exhibit is free.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years and is a Georgia Press Association award winner. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
