Somerville LEGOLAND to Open in 7 Months

Officials Wednesday broke ground on New England's first LEGOLAND Discovery Center, which is now under construction in Somerville.

At the ceremony, a bulldozer dumped thousands of the iconic plastic blocks into the new amphitheater at Baxter State Park, where Somerville third-graders from the St. Catherine of Genoa School wore LEGOLAND Discovery Center hardhats and built LEGO creations. Meanwhile, in the background, construction on a much larger scale took place at the Assembly Row development, which LEGOLAND will be part of.

When it opens, in May of 2014, Somerville's LEGOLAND Discovery Center will be a 44,000 square-foot play space in the same building as a new AMC movie complex.

It will have LEGO-building workshops, a "4D cinema" and a LEGO MINILAND, featuring LEGO versions of famous Boston buildings, such as the Prudential Center and Quincy Market.

The LEGO mecca will bring fans and families "from Maine to Connecticut and everywhere in between," said Russ Joyner, general manager of Assembly Row.

James Burleigh, from the Merlin Entertainment Group, which runs LEGOLAND, said the toy-themed discovery center will contribute to and benefit from the other attractions in Assembly Row, such as shopping, dining and the movie theater.

In the video above, Burleigh talks a little about Somerville's LEGOLAND Discovery Center, Wednesday's groundbreaking and what you can expect to experience at LEGOLAND when it opens.

Video credit: Chris Orchard and ctpboston.