LEGO® Cathedral
Help the sixth-largest cathedral become the world's largest built from LEGO® bricks!
On our way to 500,000 LEGO® bricks!
If you missed the 83 years of construction it took to build Washington National Cathedral, now’s your chance to watch the Cathedral rise again – only this time out of LEGO® bricks! When completed, over 500,000 LEGO® bricks will form a 1:40 scale replica of the Cathedral that’s more than 13 feet long, 8 feet tall and bigger than a minivan!
Visit and Build
Visit the construction zone and see our incredible progress! You can view the impressive LEGO® Cathedral model in the gift shop when you visit for Sightseeing.
Participate as a LEGO® Cathedral builder on Wednesdays when you visit for Sightseeing or when a LEGO® volunteer is available. For every $10 you donate, you will receive 5 LEGO® bricks to add to the replica. Volunteers will show you where to add your bricks to the module we are currently working on.
Donations to the LEGO® Project support the ongoing preservation and maintenance of the Cathedral. Your generosity provides our facilities teams with the resources they need to keep the actual Cathedral building strong, safe, and welcoming. Thank you!
Can’t make it to the Cathedral, live across the country or around the world? Help build from home! So far, visitors and online donors from across the country and around the world have donated and spread the word! Help us break a world record to be the largest cathedral ever built from LEGO® bricks!
Current Brick Count (August 2024):
Build Progress
Explore some progress photos from the laying of the "foundation brick" onward, as we build toward 500,000! Click an image for more details and to open the full gallery.
Volunteers Needed!
build with usLEGO® Cathedral FAQ
Yes! The exhibit is open for viewing during sightseeing hours when the gift shop is open. Sightseeing hours vary – check upcoming days.
You can help build the LEGO® Cathedral model on Wednesdays at the Cathedral from 10am-5pm or when a LEGO® volunteer is available. Sightseeing admission is required.
While at the exhibit, you may donate to receive a brick bundle:
- $10 for 5 bricks
- $20 for 10 bricks
- $50 for 30 bricks (5 bonus bricks!)
- $100 for 60 bricks (10 bonus bricks!)
- $150 for 90 bricks (15 bonus bricks!)
We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
The exhibit located in the gift shop on the Cathedral’s main level. The exhibit is wheelchair and stroller accessible.
YOU get to build the model! This is a community building project and all bricks have been placed by people like you. For each $10 you donate to support the Cathedral’s earthquake repair, you receive 5 LEGO® bricks to build. Volunteers will help show you how to add your bricks to the module we are currently working on.
Yes! You can make an online donation using the form below and for each $10 you give, we will add 5 LEGO® bricks to the model on your behalf.
Any donations made via our website donation form go towards funding bricks that are added to the model by our volunteers on the donor’s behalf.
If you want to be the person adding the bricks to the model, please come to the exhibit to make your donation in person. You can also keep an eye on our public calendar for special opportunities to get your brick bundle in advance.
The first LEGO® brick was placed on March 1, 2019. Just like the foundation stone of the actual Cathedral, the LEGO® brick was placed in the area that would become Bethlehem Chapel.
The exhibit temporarily closed starting in March 2020 to visitors and volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic and is now open on Wednesdays from 10am-5pm or when a LEGO® volunteer is available. Thank you for your patience as we work towards more frequent exhibit hours.
The speed of construction depends entirely on the donations that are received, as the model is built entirely from donations. Based on progress from the first year of construction, the model could be complete as early as 2027. As of August 2024, the model is roughly 20% complete.
All pieces used are existing LEGO® bricks, many from recognizable LEGO® sets! Repurposing existing elements in creative, unusual ways is at the heart of LEGO® building.
The Cathedral was built over 83 years mainly in the masonry tradition of the great medieval churches of Europe and includes 112 gargoyles, 231 stained-glass windows, and at least one stone weighing over five tons. In order to keep the structure in working condition and ready to host hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, we must invest regularly in the building and its systems.
Help build from home
Not able to help us build in person? You can still help build our LEGO® brick replica and restore the actual Cathedral! For each $10 that you donate, our team will place 5 LEGO® bricks onto the model on your behalf. You can donate as many bricks as you’d like to help our LEGO® model continue to grow, and all proceeds will help fund the remaining $15 million in repairs to fix major damage from the 2011 earthquake that rocked the Cathedral, damaging its pinnacles, buttresses and roofing.
The Cathedral segregates and tracks all funds gifted for a specific purpose for that restricted purpose. They are spent and released in accordance with the lower of the amount budgeted in the associated annual operation or capital budgets, or actual expenses incurred for the restricted purpose.