Reach for the Sky!
Build the Empire State Building

Capture the Art Deco elegance of this iconic New York landmark with 1,767 pieces. A stunning display piece for architecture enthusiasts and LEGO collectors alike.

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🏛 Architecture
Set #21046

Empire State Building

The LEGO Architecture Empire State Building is a stunning tribute to an iconic landmark.

🏆 Best For: Architecture enthusiasts and LEGO collectors ⏱ 4.5 hr build 🧩 1,767 pcs
★★★★☆ 4.3

Fans praise the Empire State Building for its accurate representation and impressive scale, making it a great display piece. Some builders found the repetition tedious, but the end result is undeniably striking.

📝 Our Take

The LEGO Architecture Empire State Building is a stunning tribute to an iconic landmark. Capturing the Art Deco grandeur of the New York City skyscraper, this set is a masterclass in using LEGO elements to recreate architectural details.

This set is perfect for architecture enthusiasts and LEGO collectors seeking an impressive display piece. The building experience is engaging and rewarding, resulting in a model with significant shelf presence.

Skip this if you prefer play-oriented sets or are intimidated by repetitive builds. Consider the LEGO Architecture Statue of Liberty for a different iconic landmark experience.

✨ New
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Hi! I'm BlockTalk, your LEGO expert. Ask me anything about the Empire State Building - building tips, investment potential, comparisons, or anything else!
Try asking:
How does this set compare to other LEGO Architecture landmarks in terms of scale and detail? What are some creative ways to display the Empire State Building model? How does the retired status of this set affect its collectibility and value? What are the key building techniques used to capture the Empire State Building's unique architectural features?

🧱 Building Experience

🧩
1,767
Pieces
4.5h
Build Time
📊
Intermediate
Difficulty
Build Highlights:
  • Intricate recreation of the Empire State Building's Art Deco facade
  • Clever use of grille tiles to simulate the building's texture
  • Engaging building techniques for the spire and antenna
  • Impressive display model with significant height and presence

📈 Investment Analysis

→ Price stable
B+
Investment Grade
⏳ Active
The LEGO Architecture Empire State Building, set number 21046, presents a moderately attractive investment opportunity. As a retired set from a popular theme, its value is likely to appreciate over time. The set's high piece count and iconic subject matter contribute to its collectibility. However, the architectural theme, while popular, may not generate the same level of demand as licensed themes like Star Wars or Marvel. Investors should monitor its performance on the secondary market and consider acquiring it at a reasonable price to maximize potential returns. The set's condition and the completeness of the original packaging will significantly impact its future value.

Not Financial Advice: Content is for educational purposes only. Past performance doesn't guarantee future results. Full disclaimer

Compare Similar Sets

The LEGO Architecture Empire State Building stands out for its detailed recreation of a classic skyscraper. Compared to other Architecture sets like the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building offers a different building experience with its focus on geometric patterns and repetitive elements. Collectors might choose this set for its iconic subject matter and its impressive height, making it a prominent display piece.

📦 Full Parts Inventory - 75 unique parts • 1,735 total pieces

Brick Special 1 x 2 with 2 Studs on 1 Side Brick Special 1 x...
Part #: 11211 12× White
Brick Special 1 x 2 with 2 Studs on 1 Side Brick Special 1 x...
Part #: 11211 72× Light Bluish Gray
Plate 3 x 3 Plate 3 x 3
Part #: 11212 19× Light Bluish Gray
Plate 3 x 3 Plate 3 x 3
Part #: 11212 Red
Slope Curved 2 x 1 No Studs [1/2 Bow] Slope Curved 2 x ...
Part #: 11477 Metallic Silver
Plate Special 1 x 2 with 1 Stud with Groove and Inside Stud Holder (Jumper) Plate Special 1 x...
Part #: 15573 Dark Bluish Gray
Plate Special 1 x 2 with 1 Stud with Groove and Inside Stud Holder (Jumper) Plate Special 1 x...
Part #: 15573 22× Light Bluish Gray
Plate Special 1 x 2 with 1 Stud with Groove and Inside Stud Holder (Jumper) Plate Special 1 x...
Part #: 15573 11× White
Plate Special 1 x 2 with 1 Stud with Groove and Inside Stud Holder (Jumper) Plate Special 1 x...
Part #: 15573 Yellow
Technic Pin Connector Round 1L [Beam] Technic Pin Conne...
Part #: 18654 Light Bluish Gray
Tile Round 1 x 1 with Hollow Bar Tile Round 1 x 1 ...
Part #: 20482 Pearl Gold
Brick Special 1 x 2 x 1 2/3 with 4 Studs on 1 Side Brick Special 1 x...
Part #: 22885 42× Light Bluish Gray
Brick Special 1 x 2 x 1 2/3 with 4 Studs on 1 Side Brick Special 1 x...
Part #: 22885 Red
Tile Special 1 x 2 Grille with Bottom Groove Tile Special 1 x ...
Part #: 2412b 684× Tan
Tile Special 1 x 2 Grille with Bottom Groove Tile Special 1 x ...
Part #: 2412b White
Plate 2 x 2 Corner Plate 2 x 2 Corner
Part #: 2420 Black
Plate 2 x 2 Corner Plate 2 x 2 Corner
Part #: 2420 32× Light Bluish Gray
Tile 1 x 4 with Groove Tile 1 x 4 with G...
Part #: 2431 16× Black
Tile 1 x 4 with Groove Tile 1 x 4 with G...
Part #: 2431 Light Bluish Gray
Plate Special 2 x 2 with Pin on Bottom Plate Special 2 x...
Part #: 2476a Light Bluish Gray
Tile Round 1 x 1 Quarter Tile Round 1 x 1 ...
Part #: 25269 Light Bluish Gray
Antenna 8H Whip Antenna 8H Whip
Part #: 2569 Light Bluish Gray
Tile 2 x 3 Tile 2 x 3
Part #: 26603 14× Dark Bluish Gray
Tile 2 x 3 Tile 2 x 3
Part #: 26603 Black
Brick 2 x 4 Brick 2 x 4
Part #: 3001 Light Bluish Gray
Brick 2 x 3 Brick 2 x 3
Part #: 3002 Blue
Brick 2 x 3 Brick 2 x 3
Part #: 3002 White
Brick 2 x 2 Brick 2 x 2
Part #: 3003 Blue
Brick 1 x 2 Brick 1 x 2
Part #: 3004 Yellow
Plate Special 1 x 4 with Bar Down Plate Special 1 x...
Part #: 30043 Light Bluish Gray
Brick 2 x 8 Brick 2 x 8
Part #: 3007 Light Bluish Gray
Brick 1 x 6 Brick 1 x 6
Part #: 3009 Blue
Brick 1 x 6 Brick 1 x 6
Part #: 3009 Light Bluish Gray
Brick 1 x 4 Brick 1 x 4
Part #: 3010 Light Bluish Gray
Brick Special 1 x 2 Palisade [aka Log] Brick Special 1 x...
Part #: 30136 Tan
Plate 2 x 4 Plate 2 x 4
Part #: 3020 Light Bluish Gray
Plate 2 x 4 Plate 2 x 4
Part #: 3020 White
Plate 2 x 3 Plate 2 x 3
Part #: 3021 19× White
Plate 2 x 3 Plate 2 x 3
Part #: 3021 39× Light Bluish Gray
Plate 2 x 3 Plate 2 x 3
Part #: 3021 Red
Plate 2 x 3 Plate 2 x 3
Part #: 3021 29× Dark Bluish Gray
Plate 2 x 3 Plate 2 x 3
Part #: 3021 Tan
Plate 1 x 2 Plate 1 x 2
Part #: 3023 Dark Bluish Gray
Plate 1 x 2 Plate 1 x 2
Part #: 3023 14× Blue
Plate 1 x 2 Plate 1 x 2
Part #: 3023 31× Light Bluish Gray
Plate 1 x 2 Plate 1 x 2
Part #: 3023 32× Trans-Clear
Plate 1 x 2 Plate 1 x 2
Part #: 3023 14× Trans-Brown
Plate 1 x 2 Plate 1 x 2
Part #: 3023 White
Plate 1 x 1 Plate 1 x 1
Part #: 3024 Black
Plate 1 x 1 Plate 1 x 1
Part #: 3024 Tan
Plate 1 x 1 Plate 1 x 1
Part #: 3024 16× Light Bluish Gray
Plate 1 x 1 Plate 1 x 1
Part #: 3024 Dark Bluish Gray
Plate 1 x 1 Plate 1 x 1
Part #: 3024 Trans-Clear
Plate 4 x 10 Plate 4 x 10
Part #: 3030 Dark Bluish Gray
Plate 2 x 8 Plate 2 x 8
Part #: 3034 Dark Bluish Gray
Bar 4L (Lightsaber Blade / Wand) Bar 4L (Lightsabe...
Part #: 30374 Light Bluish Gray
Brick Special 1 x 4 with 4 Studs on One Side Brick Special 1 x...
Part #: 30414 Tan
Brick Special 1 x 4 with 4 Studs on One Side Brick Special 1 x...
Part #: 30414 Light Bluish Gray
Brick Round 1 x 1 Open Stud Brick Round 1 x 1...
Part #: 3062b Light Bluish Gray
Tile 1 x 2 with Groove Tile 1 x 2 with G...
Part #: 3069b Trans-Clear
Tile 1 x 2 with Groove Tile 1 x 2 with G...
Part #: 3069b Dark Bluish Gray
Tile 1 x 2 with Groove Tile 1 x 2 with G...
Part #: 3069b Pearl Gold
Tile 1 x 2 with Groove Tile 1 x 2 with G...
Part #: 3069b 10× Light Bluish Gray
Tile 1 x 2 with Groove Tile 1 x 2 with G...
Part #: 3069b Metallic Silver
Tile 1 x 1 with Groove Tile 1 x 1 with G...
Part #: 3070b Tan
Tile 1 x 1 with Groove Tile 1 x 1 with G...
Part #: 3070b Black
Tile 1 x 1 with Groove Tile 1 x 1 with G...
Part #: 3070b Light Bluish Gray
Tile 1 x 1 with Groove Tile 1 x 1 with G...
Part #: 3070b Yellow
Plate Special 1 x 2 with Door Rail Plate Special 1 x...
Part #: 32028 Tan
Plate Special 1 x 2 with Door Rail Plate Special 1 x...
Part #: 32028 Dark Bluish Gray
Technic Plate 1 x 5 with Smooth Ends, 4 Studs and Centre Axle Hole Technic Plate 1 x...
Part #: 32124 White
Brick Special 1 x 1 x 1 2/3 with Studs on 1 Side Brick Special 1 x...
Part #: 32952 Light Bluish Gray
Brick Special 1 x 1 x 1 2/3 with Studs on 1 Side Brick Special 1 x...
Part #: 32952 Red
Plate Special 1 x 3 with 2 Studs with Groove and Inside Stud Holder (Jumper) Plate Special 1 x...
Part #: 34103 10× Tan
Plate 1 x 8 Plate 1 x 8
Part #: 3460 Red
Plate 1 x 8 Plate 1 x 8
Part #: 3460 Dark Bluish Gray
Plate 1 x 8 Plate 1 x 8
Part #: 3460 White
Brick 1 x 3 Brick 1 x 3
Part #: 3622 White
Brick 1 x 3 Brick 1 x 3
Part #: 3622 Dark Bluish Gray
Brick 1 x 3 Brick 1 x 3
Part #: 3622 Light Bluish Gray
Plate 1 x 3 Plate 1 x 3
Part #: 3623 Tan
Plate 1 x 3 Plate 1 x 3
Part #: 3623 16× Light Bluish Gray
Plate 1 x 6 Plate 1 x 6
Part #: 3666 Tan
Plate 1 x 6 Plate 1 x 6
Part #: 3666 12× Light Bluish Gray
Plate 1 x 6 Plate 1 x 6
Part #: 3666 12× Dark Bluish Gray
Plate 1 x 4 Plate 1 x 4
Part #: 3710 White
Plate 1 x 4 Plate 1 x 4
Part #: 3710 Light Bluish Gray
Plate 1 x 4 Plate 1 x 4
Part #: 3710 Red
Plate 2 x 6 Plate 2 x 6
Part #: 3795 Dark Bluish Gray
Plate 2 x 6 Plate 2 x 6
Part #: 3795 Black
Plate 2 x 10 Plate 2 x 10
Part #: 3832 Light Bluish Gray
Plate 6 x 6 Plate 6 x 6
Part #: 3958 Light Bluish Gray
Plate Round 2 x 2 with Axle Hole Type 1 (+ Opening) Plate Round 2 x 2...
Part #: 4032a Light Bluish Gray
Tile 1 x 8 with Groove Tile 1 x 8 with G...
Part #: 4162 Dark Bluish Gray
Tile 1 x 8 with Groove Tile 1 x 8 with G...
Part #: 4162 Black
Tile 1 x 8 with "Empire State Building" print Tile 1 x 8 with "...
Part #: 4162pr0068 Black
Technic Pin 1/2 Technic Pin 1/2
Part #: 4274 Light Bluish Gray
Plate 1 x 10 Plate 1 x 10
Part #: 4477 Light Bluish Gray
Brick Special 1 x 2 x 2/3 with Studs on Sides Brick Special 1 x...
Part #: 4595 Black
Brick Special 1 x 1 Studs on 4 Sides Brick Special 1 x...
Part #: 4733 White
Brick Special 1 x 2 with Studs on 2 Sides Brick Special 1 x...
Part #: 52107 Red
Cone 1 x 1 [Top Groove] Cone 1 x 1 [Top G...
Part #: 59900 Light Bluish Gray
Plate Special 1 x 1 with Clip Vertical [Thick Open O Clip] Plate Special 1 x...
Part #: 60897 Light Bluish Gray
Slope 18° 2 x 1 x 2/3 with 4 Slots / Grate Slope 18° 2 x 1 x...
Part #: 61409 Metallic Silver
Plate Round 1 x 1 with Solid Stud Plate Round 1 x 1...
Part #: 6141 Trans-Clear
Plate Special 4 x 6 with Studs on 3 Edges Plate Special 4 x...
Part #: 6180 Black
Tile 1 x 3 Tile 1 x 3
Part #: 63864 Dark Bluish Gray
Tile 1 x 3 Tile 1 x 3
Part #: 63864 Tan
Tile 1 x 3 Tile 1 x 3
Part #: 63864 Light Bluish Gray
Tile 1 x 6 with Groove Tile 1 x 6 with G...
Part #: 6636 Light Bluish Gray
Plate Round 1 x 1 with Open Stud Plate Round 1 x 1...
Part #: 85861 Yellow
Slope 30° 1 x 2 x 2/3 Slope 30° 1 x 2 x...
Part #: 85984 White
Slope 30° 1 x 2 x 2/3 Slope 30° 1 x 2 x...
Part #: 85984 Light Bluish Gray
Tile 2 x 4 with Groove Tile 2 x 4 with G...
Part #: 87079 White
Brick Special 1 x 1 with Stud on 1 Side Brick Special 1 x...
Part #: 87087 Light Bluish Gray
Plate Special 2 x 2 with Groove and Center Stud (Jumper) Plate Special 2 x...
Part #: 87580 12× Light Bluish Gray
Bar 3L Bar 3L
Part #: 87994 Black
Plate 2 x 14 Plate 2 x 14
Part #: 91988 Black
Brick and Axle Separator v2.0 Brick and Axle Se...
Part #: 96874 Orange
Brick Round 2 x 2 Truncated Cone Brick Round 2 x 2...
Part #: 98100 Light Bluish Gray
Tile Round 1 x 1 Tile Round 1 x 1
Part #: 98138 10× Tan
Plate Special 2 x 2 x 2/3 with Two Studs On Side and Two Raised Plate Special 2 x...
Part #: 99206 148× Light Bluish Gray
Plate Special 2 x 2 x 2/3 with Two Studs On Side and Two Raised Plate Special 2 x...
Part #: 99206 Tan
Plate Special 2 x 2 x 2/3 with Two Studs On Side and Two Raised Plate Special 2 x...
Part #: 99206 20× Red
Bracket 1 x 2 - 2 x 2 Inverted Bracket 1 x 2 - 2...
Part #: 99207 White
Bracket 1 x 2 - 2 x 2 Inverted Bracket 1 x 2 - 2...
Part #: 99207 Tan
Bracket 1 x 2 - 1 x 2 Inverted Bracket 1 x 2 - 1...
Part #: 99780 Light Bluish Gray
Bracket 1 x 2 - 1 x 2 Bracket 1 x 2 - 1...
Part #: 99781 White
The set features a substantial collection of Tan Tile Special 1 x 2 Grille pieces, ideal for creating textured surfaces in MOCs. The Light Bluish Gray elements are also present in useful quantities for builders.

💎 Notable Parts

Tan Tile Special 1 x 2 Grille with Bottom Groove (684x) $34.20
Light Bluish Gray Plate Special 2 x 2 x 2/3 with Two Studs On Side and Two Raised (148x) $14.80
Light Bluish Gray Brick Special 1 x 2 with 2 Studs on 1 Side (72x) $7.20
Est. BrickLink Part Value
$56.20

💡 MOC Potential

🏛 Alternate skyscraper designs
🏙 Expansion of a New York City skyline
🏰 Imposing castle tower or keep

Community Insights

Real opinions from Reddit and YouTube

What Reddit Says

Based on 11 discussions
3.0 /5
Mixed
0% positive
BlockTalk AI

The Reddit community finds the Empire State Building (21046-1) set interesting, particularly its building techniques. Some users mention using it for creative purposes like billboards or incorporating it into city layouts with LEGO mechs and even bearded dragons.

Your collection needs a ninjago mecht to defend the city from this kaiju

48 upvotes • 3y ago

I had a bearded dragon when I was younger and I remember having him walk in my lego city terrorizing the citizens. Obviously he mostly just chilled...

25 upvotes • 3y ago

That entire set is full of some crazy building techniques!

15 upvotes • 4y ago

What YouTubers Say

2 videos found
BlockTalk AI

ZIROTCA's stop-motion build highlights the Empire State Building (21046) as the tallest LEGO Architecture model after the Statue of Liberty. Another reviewer showcases a time-lapse build of the 1767-piece set, presenting it as an engaging birthday gift experience.

Community Sentiment

Based on 11 Reddit opinions

Reddit

3.0 /5
Mixed
0% positive
0
Positive
11
Mixed
0
Critical

YouTube

Not enough YouTube data

BlockTalk AI Analysis

The Reddit community finds the Empire State Building (21046-1) set interesting, particularly its building techniques. Some users mention using it for creative purposes like billboards or incorporating it into city layouts with LEGO mechs and even bearded dragons.

What the Community Says

6 Reddit + 2 YouTube reviews
BlockTalk AI Summary

Redditors appreciate the set's unique building techniques and potential for use in LEGO city displays. One user humorously recounts their bearded dragon interacting with the set, while another suggests it's good for making billboards.

Reddit Reviews

6 discussions
Neutral
48

Your collection needs a ninjago mecht to defend the city from this kaiju

3y ago in r/lego View
Neutral
25

I had a bearded dragon when I was younger and I remember having him walk in my lego city terrorizing the citizens. Obviously he mostly just chilled on a baseplate

3y ago in r/lego View
Neutral
15

That entire set is full of some crazy building techniques!

4y ago in r/lego View
Neutral
14

I use it quite a bit, it’s actually very good for making billboards

4y ago in r/lego View
Community Content: These reviews are from Reddit and YouTube users sharing their personal experiences. Opinions may vary.

Charts Inventory Statistics

75
Unique Parts
1,735
Total Pieces
0
Minifigures
Inventory Version: 1