"Lots of my Lego projects take three or sometimes even four months to complete, but this project was like six projects in one," said Peter Grant, Richmond's resident "Lego Man."
Grant, known for his recreation of landmarks around the city, recently completed his model of the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site.
Featuring all the buildings, a wooden fishing boat and vignettes of life in the cannery back in the day, the 55,000-piece creation is the Lego Man's "largest yet."
“The cannery has been on my radar for years, but it was such a daunting project, I really didn’t know where to start. That changed when the cannery’s CEO, Elizabeth Batista, reached out to me in late 2022," Grant told the Richmond News.
"After getting a personal tour of the site, I did three mini-builds and felt comfortable that I could do it justice. I just didn’t appreciate how long it would take.”
Grant added he took some "artistic licence" when representing time in the model.
"You’ll see a wooden fishing boat built by the Kishi Boat Works unloading salmon, some of which is being canned and some of which is being trucked on ice into Vancouver along Trunk Road. There are fish oil tanks on the tank cradles behind the shop building," he explained.
"While none of those things were happening at the same time; however, to me, these are all important stories to capture.”
The completed model was first previewed at BrickCan 2024 at River Rock Casino and is now on display at the cannery.
“The positive comments I heard from people at BrickCan were really rewarding. The cannery has touched a lot of people’s lives here in Richmond. I hope people can visit the cannery to check it out,” said Grant.
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