LEGO Lady Liberty Seeks Love in the Hamptons

Just before Independence Day this summer, LEGO Lady Liberty stepped out into the light off Route 27 and made her presence known in the Hamptons. Have you seen her yet? Do you remember where?

The nearly 6-foot-tall Statue of Liberty made from plastic LEGO construction blocks is still standing tall and waving to passersby in front of local vintage store Out of the Closet at the eastern end of Water Mill’s commercial center. It turns out the store’s owners Ruth Chernaik and Lucille Martin picked up this LEGO treasure at an estate sale, but they know little else about her.

“We had it a while,” Chernaik says, explaining that LEGO Lady Liberty lived at the store for some time before they decided to put her out front in honor of the July Fourth holiday.

Judging by the red and white, and very official looking, “LEGO” logos on her base, the unique statue appears to be some kind of promotional item, rather than a project made by a LEGO hobbyist or a kid, but it’s tough to determine her exact provenance. A quick online search reveals that many LEGO Statue of Liberty sculptures are out there in a variety of sizes and colors, from little boxed home kits to larger store displays and monumental re-creations, including one in a New York City skyline replica at Legoland in Carlsbad, California and another at the original LEGOLAND in Denmark, the birthplace of the famous toy.

Both of these Legoland statues are white, like our resident Hamptons LEGO Lady Liberty, but many also come in green, representing the patina of tarnished copper.

A rep from LEGO, Lucy, said it would be very difficult to track down the statue’s actual origin, but noted that any large display created by LEGO’s master builders would eventually be reclaimed by the company and recycled into other sculptures once it’s removed a store or other venue. “It’s not something that would end up in a thrift store for sure,” Lucy said, guessing the statue was probably made by a very skilled, “huge LEGO fan” for no other reason than love of the hobby.

If you’re one of those huge fans, and you’ve got a few extra bucks, “It could be for sale,” Chrernaik, Out of the Closet’s owner, says.

The statue needs a little love—including replacements for all seven missing spikes, her tablet, right hand and torch—but for $1,500, a lucky LEGO lover could take her home and get to work!

Out of the Closet is located at 720 Montauk Highway in Water Mill. Visit lucysvintagecloset.com or give them a call at 631-537-2470.

If you know anything about this LEGO Lady Liberty, please leave a comment below or email tips and info here.

Also, LEGO fans should make sure to visit one of the LEGO clubs at our local libraries or at the Children’s Museum of the East End (visit cmee.org), which meets every Saturday morning at 10 a.m.