A. E. Staley Office Building Built from Legos

Lauren Taylor, accompanied by a card board stand-up of A.E. Staley, proudly displays the replica of the Staley Office Building Lauren made with nearly 30,000 Legos.

By DORIS ELMORE
Staff Writer

The A.E. Staley office building in Decatur is located at the intersection of Eldorado and 22nd streets, at the crest of the William B. Sands viaduct. This 14-story building was built in 1929 and has been an icon for the City of Decatur since the beginning. While the building is intriguing to look at, the new Lego version of the building is totally awesome. The Lego replica of the A.E. Staley Office Building was available for viewing on Sunday, August 25 at the Staley Museum. Using her artistic talent, Lauren Taylor built this replica of the office building.

According to information regarding Lauren, she received her first bucket of Lego bricks about 25 years ago and has been hooked ever since. As an AFOL (Adult Fan of Lego), she is currently the Assistant Director at the Hieronymus Mueller Museum. Her previous experience as a researcher and exhibit designer for the Staley Museum provided a background and enthusiasm for this project that was nearly two years in the making. Lauren describes herself as a serial hobbyist, but Lego will always have a corner of her heart – and every flat surface in her home.

The dimensions of the Lego model of the office building are 57” w X 31” d X 36”t and weighs approximately 50 lbs. using nearly 30,000 Lego bricks. Lauren remarked that it took her over 150 hours to construct the replica while continuing to work and going to school. This was a labor of love for Laura, even though it took a while to build. She is definitely into working with Legos. The most frequently used piece is the 1×2 plate, proof big things come from tiny bricks.

When Lauren was asked for advice for someone wanting to build their own large-scale model without the aid of an instruction manual, she answered:

Keep playing!

When the project felt too daunting or I was too uninspired to build, I would pull out a new Logo kit or one I had previously built.

It would remind me of the fun and creative possibilities these bricks bring. And sometimes they would teach me something new!

No expense was spared in constructing the ornate Staley Building with the golden dome, the office of the Staley Manufacturing Company. The building is also known as the “Castle in the Cornfields”. According to information regarding the building, it was designed by A.E.

Staley, who wanted to create a capitalistic ode to joy through soaring architecture. The building 217 feet tall, 263 feet wide and 103 feet deep. It has rich mahogany and marble interiors. The building was the artistic vision of Mr. Staley, who said in a 1928 article that the building would make people remember Decatur and “Staley”.

The Staley Museum is breathtaking with memorabilia of the Staley Company at every turn. The original desk that Mr. Staley used is on display with a huge picture of the office building. There were many other Lego masterpieces that had been made by Dr. Bob Carney. Dr. Carney’s Lego sets will be on display through September at the museum. They are so intricate, interesting to see and time-consuming to build.

The Staley Company was sold to Tate & Lyle Company in 1988. In July 2021, Tate & Lyle announced it was spinning off Tate & Lyle Primary Products (formerly A.E. Staley) into a new company to be known as Primary Products Ingredients Americas LLC (Primient).

While it has been several years since the company was actually A.E. Staley, Decatur natives will always remember it as the Staley Building. The colored lights at the top change colors and bring back so many memories to former employees and residents of Decatur and beyond. The Staley Building will always have a special place in people’s hearts because it remains the heart of Decatur. The Lego model of the building has a special place of honor at the Staley Museum.

As viewers made their way to the beautiful kitchen at the museum, there on display was a gorgeous cake, also designed like the office building adorned with roses and ears of corn laying on each side of the front. There was also a cake with the Staley logo on the front. Diana McPheeters made and designed the cake.

If you have the opportunity to visit the Staley Museum, take a look at the A.E. Staley Office Building built from Legos. What an awesome job Lauren did on this beautiful replica of the office.

As you walk into the front door of the museum there is a large stand-up poster of A.E. Staley standing by a street sign saying I love (heart) Decatur and Welcome with the Staley Building in the background. The poster says, “Mr. Staley…is in!” and indeed he is. Although many people today didn’t know him personally, his persona is everywhere welcoming them to his former home (the Staley Mansion) and the realization of his dreams.