Over the last year, artist Chris Burden and his assistants have been painstakingly constructing a gigantic 16,000 pound, 65 foot skyscraper using replicated stainless steel Erector set pieces. The work, entitled "What My Dad Gave Me" was inspired by the tall buildings in Manhattan—which is why the piece was carted from Los Angeles and recently installed smack dab in the middle of Rockefeller Center.

Burden's fascination with engineering and architecture began early on and believes that Erector sets and similar toys are "the tools we use to inculcate children into how to be adults." He also noted that a child could have built his creation, theoretically, if given enough time and parts. Still, the work is impressive (although it is no 100 foot Lego tower). If you would like to check it out in person, the exhibit is officially slated to open today as part of Rockefeller Center’s program of monumental outdoor exhibitions and it will be on display there until July 19th. [NYT]

Send an email to Sean Fallon, the author of this post, at .