COLUMBUS, Ohio — Oftentimes, adults outlive their Lego fascination, but not Dr. Paul Janssen, an Ohio State professor.

What You Need To Know

• Dr. Paul Janssen, an Ohio State professor, built an Ohio Stadium model entirely out of Legos


• It took him more than 1,000 hours over the course of at least three years to complete


• Janssen's scale model is helping to raise money for a human heart research project

He's an Ohio State professor of physiology and cell biology and has a doctorate, but outside of his office hours, he's not on the golf course or at the gym. 

Janssen's playing with Legos.   

"I’m probably doing it a little bit more extreme than the average adult Lego friend," said Janssen.

Janssen took an interest in the plastic toy when he was 5-years-old, but his priorities switched gears by high school. Soccer became his new thing and Janssen put his Legos away.

After college, Janssen's Lego curiosity lured him back in. It started when he was in a flea market in Germany of all places where he stumbled across a Lego collection he always wanted. 

That eventually roped him into building things, like skyscrapers.

Then, he thought bigger...  

"I was kinda bored making the same skyscrapers,” said Janssen. “People from the adult Lego club I'm a part of said, ‘If you really want a challenge, then The Shoe is a good challenge.'”

So, Janssen constructed a model of the Ohio Stadium to-scale out of Legos. It took him at least three years, a thousand hours, and a million pieces to complete. 

"For three years, I would build on it, mainly on the weekends,” said Janssen. “I would get up at 6 o'clock where my kids and wife would sleep till 9 o'clock or so. I'd get three hours on Saturday, three hours on Sunday, and that was the main building time."

The Lego masterpiece isn't only turning heads while on display, it's also giving back. 

Every Lego figurine in the stands and on the field represents an OSU student or alum who put in a donation, which goes toward university archives and Janssen's human heart research project. 

Though some might shake their heads at the thought of a professor playing with Legos, the one-of-a-kind creation hasn't disappointed yet. 

The replica has raised $85,000 so far. 

"Every time someone else donates, it gives me a good feeling,” said Janssen. “I hope it gives the person donating a good feeling and that they like the stadium. They basically give back to the community at large because the research benefits everyone worldwide."

The Lego replica is on display inside the Thompson Library until February.