UWM alum Paul Wellington and his sister, Nealita Nelson, are competing on this season’s “LEGO Masters” competition show. (Tom Griscom photo courtesy of Fox)
UWM alum finds fun and success on Lego reality TV show
Alum Paul Wellington (BS ’12, MARCH ’15) and his sister are competing on reality TV show LEGO Masters, putting his experience and passion for architecture – and LEGOS – to the test in a whole new setting.
UWM’s Kathy Quirk interviewed Wellington and learned that his favorite LEGO buildings are based on neoclassical or midcentury modern styles. “I don’t actually copy them directly, but I’m inspired by them,” he told her.
He likes the look of historical British buildings as well as New York and Chicago cityscapes.
Paul has built landmarks out of LEGO bricks, including the Fiserv Forum, the Milwaukee Public Library’s Central Library, and the Tripoli Shrine on Wisconsin Avenue.
His model of the National Congress of Brazil by architect Oscar Niemeyer was featured in the book “The LEGO Architect.” That piece and his LEGO version of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple were also featured on the website “Brick Architect.”
Wellington has also written his own book, “Black Built: History and Architecture in the Black Community,” about the work of African American architects.
