Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis man recreates local landmarks with Legos
Recreating Minneapolis landmarks with Legos
About a block from Lake Nokomis, there’s a coffee shop where customers come to escape the daily grind. But inside the corner cafe sits a tiny tribute to the neighborhood hangout.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – About a block from Lake Nokomis, there’s a coffee shop where customers come to escape the daily grind. But inside the corner cafe sits a tiny tribute to the neighborhood hangout.
How he got his start
The backstory:
Jeff Esler has been coming to Nokomis Beach Coffee for caffeine and conversation every morning for more than two decades.
Since he’s always had a love of Legos, about a year and a half ago, Esler made a small scale replica of his favorite coffee shop, complete with miniature versions of himself and his daily coffee klatch.
“I call it the last supper. It’s a bunch of us sitting around this table and each one of them, you can kind of recognize who the minifigures are. Most of my friends are like that’s great. Some of them are like I don’t look like that,” said Esler.
Mini Monte Carlo
Local perspective:
Another Lego model of the Monte Carlo restaurant in the North Loop is also on display at the coffee shop.
With accurate reproductions of everything from the outdoor signs and patio to the signature bar that goes all the way up to the ceiling, Esler’s attention to detail is jaw dropping.
“It’s one of my favorite restaurants. It’s been in Minneapolis since 1906 so it’s got a lot of history. It’s usually just my perspective. It’s not super accurate but it will end up looking a lot like the real places,” said Esler.
Building a hobby brick-by-brick
Dig deeper:
FOX 9 first met Esler nearly eight years ago, when he immortalized Nye’s Polonaise Room with Legos about a year after the beloved piano bar and restaurant in northeast Minneapolis closed its doors.
“It was a combination of I want something to do and I want one of these little projects so why not do Nye’s or something everyone recognizes. So that’s what I did,” Esler said at the time.
It is now one of a handful of Lego models in his mancave that includes Gluek’s bar in downtown Minneapolis, the home of the Jucy Lucy Matt’s Bar, the Split Rock Lighthouse along Lake Superior and a gas station designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Cloquet.
Esler says each project takes thousands of bricks and 40 to 50 hours to build.
“I’ll sit down here at noon and all of a sudden it will be midnight and it will feel like an hour so its kind of fun to get really into doing things like that,” said Esler.
What’s next:
Esler’s latest Lego creation is the Riverview Theater in South Minneapolis, which is filled with mini figurines, including a row of Jokers from the Lego Batman set.
As much as he wants to keep them, Esler says part of him wants to sell or give his Lego landmarks away.
But he has no plans to stop recreating some of Minnesota’s most recognizable places one brick at a time.
“They are cool enough to be maintained. They have a little Americana. A little bit of history,” said Esler.
The scene of the crash at 26th Avenue North and Emerson Avenue North in Minneapolis. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A Minneapolis woman was sentenced for her role in a deadly crash that killed two women and injured two other people in December 2024.
READ MORE: Minneapolis woman charged in fatal high-speed crash faces additional charges
Woman sentenced in fatal Minneapolis crash
Big picture view:
Prosecutors say Teniki Steward drove a Buick Enclave into a bus shelter and a Ford Explorer after speeding through a red light.
Both of the women in the Ford Explorer died in the crash. They were identified as 53-year-old Ester Jean Fulks and 57-year-old Rose Elaine Reece.
During the crash, the Ford Explorer went off the road, injuring a 17-year-old boy who was waiting for a school bus.
The passenger in Steward’s vehicle also suffered injuries.
Minneapolis police said that Steward was also injured in the crash.
Steward pleaded guilty to multiple murder charges.
What they’re saying:
During the sentencing, the daughter of one of the victims had a statement read on her behalf:
“There’s nothing that can truly prepare you for the moment your entire world is taken from you. Losing my mom has left a pain in my heart that words will never be able to explain.”
What’s next:
Minnesota law requires that Steward serves at least two-thirds of her sentence, a bit under eight-and-a-half years, in prison.
Fatal Emerson and 26th crash
The backstory:
According to the criminal complaint, through surveillance videos from the scene of the crash and witnesses, investigators learned that Steward, driving the Buick Enclave, had been driving at a high rate of speed northbound on Emerson Avenue North.
Before the fatal crash, Steward sped through the intersection of Emerson Avenue North and Broadway Avenue North, running a red light and nearly causing a crash, the charges said.
Steward then continued to speed northbound down Emerson Avenue North, and ran another red light at 26th Avenue North, hitting the Ford Explorer, which was traveling eastbound, according to the complaint.
The Ford Explorer had been at the intersection of Emerson and 26th on a green light.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty shared the following statement:
“This was an egregious act that took Rose and Esther’s lives and injured a child waiting to go to school at a bus stop. Ms. Steward was driving at extremely dangerous speeds on city streets and narrowly avoided multiple collisions before the incident occurred. Third-degree murder charges are appropriate to hold her accountable and protect our community.”
The Source: This story uses information gathered from an Olmsted County court appearance and previous FOX 9 reporting.
A motorcyclist is dead after an early morning crash in Minneapolis Friday morning.
The Minnesota State Patrol said that at 1:20 a.m., a Suzuki Motorcycle going north on I-35W at Johnson Street hit the left side of the median guard rail.
The motorcycle continued north for about another quarter mile before coming to a rest on the right-hand side.
State Patrol said the rider came to rest on the left shoulder. He was later identified as 21-year-old Andrew James Neuberger.
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – The Rochester Spartans boys volleyball team played its second game on consecutive nights. The Spartans beat Minneapolis Camden 3-0.
Rochester’s next game will be Tuesday, April 21, at St. Anthony Village at 7:00 p.m.
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