Eric Brok’s lovely Dutch row house, 10190 Market Street, occupies an anomalous position relative to the other modular buildings and has, I believe, been consistently underappreciated. It possesses striking character and aesthetics, and its design and production were innovative for their era. The first section of this review describe the set’s inception and reception; for a discussion of the building itself, skip down a section.

Circuitous canonization

After the release of 10182 Café Corner in April 2007, Lego followed up with 10190 Market Street, released in October 2007. There appears to have been a convergence on the idea of modularity from within and without Lego. 10182 was designed by Lego’s Jamie Berard while 10190 was designed by a Dutch AFOL, the late Eric Brok. The boxes and branding of these two early modulars thus differ completely and 10190 came in a blue “Factory” box, which has subsequently been the cause of much controversy.

At the time of the release of 10190, the Factory program allowed individual customers to develop their own sets on Lego Digital Designer and then order the parts directly from Lego, complete with a customized box. 10190 may have been intended as a demonstration of the program, and to my knowledge was the only proper set released under the Factory imprimatur. Its production process, in which Lego designers worked with an AFOL to realize a set for commercial release seems prescient in 2007, and Lego launched the program that would eventually become Ideas the subsequent year, in 2008.

As further modular buildings along the lines of 10182 Café Corner were released in the years following 2007, the status of 10190 occasioned much debate: Had the set constituted part of the “official” line of modular buildings? In 2017, however, 10190 appeared in the collection of modular buildings behind Jamie Berard in the designer video for 10255 Assembly Square, settling the question in favor of including 10190 in the canon of “official” modular buildings.

Sadly, Eric Brok died in his sleep of cancer in early June 2007, shortly after 10190 was announced in May. His premature death gave the release of 10190 a degree of poignancy that October, a sense that still inheres in the building for me. I believe the minifigure who wears glasses and appears on the upper balcony of the building to be a representation of him.

Modularity of design

Ironically given its disputed status, 10190 is the most modular of any of the modular buildings. Indeed, given that the term “modular building” merely denotes buildings with floors that can be lifted off one another, one could describe 10190 as the only truly modular building. A single quote from Eric Brok appears on the back of the box and at the rear of the instructions and suggests this modularity: “I chose a square shape for the floors so the house could be rearranged in many ways.”

The three floors of the house and the roof of the market each rest on a 16x16 base and can be exchanged for one another. The staircase inside the house comes up in the center of each floor, so the floors can be rotated and still permit staircase access. The front balconies on the uppermost level of the house can be removed, and the system of tan Erling bricks on the front of the house allows the white flag and croissant sign to be repositioned on any floor. In contrast with 10182, 10190 rests on two 32x16 baseplates so that its two halves can be exchanged or even separated.

One cannot help but admire Brok’s imaginative system of modularity, but 10190’s ambitions overstepped its capabilities. Each of its modular functions work, but the results are usually aesthetically disappointing or architecturally nonsensical. Rotating the upper floors of the house results in sheer walls facing the street. Moving the dark blue ground floor of the house on top of the market works fairly well, but results in a door opening onto empty space, a lack of staircase access, and a strangely truncated light blue building next door. The house looks best arranged as it is in official images; Brok’s system, although visionary, would seem to require an architectural style more like modernism to succeed aesthetically as well as functionally.

Architecture and aging

I find 10190 to be one of the most characteristic and architecturally pleasing modular buildings. Only a few of the modular buildings evoke a sense of place: Paris in the case of 10182 Café Corner and 10243 Parisian Restaurant, and Amsterdam in the case of 10190. Its details all contribute to the effect: the decreasing size of the windows as the building rises; the 1x1 plates and tiles used as bricks above the second-floor windows; the ratio of the house’s width to height; the stone lion grotesque at the top of the façade; and the stepped, triangular climax of this façade.

The house of 10190 is one of the few modular buildings to look good from the sides and rear. Its sides include textured bricks in light gray to break up otherwise monochromatic walls, and on the back light tan bricks have been used to fill in old window openings. Moreover, the brick-built effect has improved with age. I have had the set assembled and on display continuously since 2007, and all of the light blue bricks, and the dark blue 1x2s and 1x1s, have yellowed with age on the house’s exterior. The 1x4 light blue bricks have yellowed consistently, but the 1x1 and 1x2 light blue bricks now appear in three slightly different hues, creating a gorgeous, subtle effect of variegation and age that suits the style of the house well.

Some reviewers have criticized 10190 for its lack of interior furnishings, an absence it shares with 10182 and to a lesser extent 10185 Green Grocer. Its interior is admittedly less than functional: the modular design and central staircases leave little interior space to be improved, and the door leading to the balcony on the uppermost floor opens directly onto a hole in the floor. I couldn’t care less about these problems.

10190 Market Street offers plentiful detail, architectural distinction, and boldness of design. Had it not been released in a Factory box, or had its innovative modular interchangeability been realized by subsequent sets it might be more widely recognized as the equal of its celebrated older sibling. Five stars.

This set really is amazing. Many people do not like is as a modular, but it is really much better than people think.

Box/Instructions:

Well, you see, I actually have neither of these! I Bricklinked this set instead of paying over $1,000 USD for it, and I did not spend too much on it. Because of that, I cannot really give an accurate review of these two aspects of the set.

Parts:

A lot of the pieces in this set are common things you would find in a lot of places. However, there are a handful of interesting and valuable parts. Those Dark Blue arches (part #3308) are very rare so instead I used the newer version (part #16577). I tried to get many of the original parts, but cost prevented me from doing so. Along with the arches, I did not get the original white hose pieces. I bought and older version of that piece and paid $5 each for them. If I were to pay for the actual pieces (not yellowed ones which are ~$6 each), I would have paid probably over $10 for each one, and that was a no from me. However, the Light Bluish Gray doors I did buy original, and one of them was really expensive. I lucked out and found the cheapest one on the internet and bought it quickly.

Minifigures:

If you have a large amount of town/city minifigures from the 2000's, you'll find most of the minifigure pieces to be quite common. The three minifigures included in this set are very plain, but are a very nice addition to the set. They are interesting though, since they were the only old modular set to include expressioned faces in the minifigures. The only valuable part of these minifigures is the torso for the female one. It is worth ~$10 but I was lucky to find it for just $1.85.

The Build:

The build is very entertaining, at least for the front of the building. You are always putting on more details on the front, using a wide variety of techniques. It was a very enjoyable build too, since each floor is built differently and with different details. The back and sides are the most boring part of the build since it is juts straight bricks, but you do get to add in some bricks here and there so the walls are not just one solid color.

The Completed Model:

This is the best aspect of the set. It is an absolutely beautiful set, and pictures of it do not do it justice. You can see the details in the picture, but it just looks better in real life. It lacks an interior (minus the stairs), but it totally makes up in the details on the front of the model. It is one of the more detailed modulars on the exterior, and the details not only enhance the set, but provide a nostalgic feel for it as well. Even the little tiny market side of the build is packed with detail on the front, and it fits right in with a modular city. Even with all the praise I have given the set, I am still confused as to why the deck on the third floor faces to the side and not the back. Placing it against another modular would just result in the minifigures looking at a wall! However, said deck is nice and even provides a swivel chair.

Overall Opinion:

This set is an incredible modular building. Despite being the smallest, you could argue that it is the most detailed on the outside, which totally makes up for its lack of interior. I would totally recommend this set to anybody, if you have a way to pay for it! I wish I could tell you about how much I paid for it, but I have to estimate because I never kept track of my orders. I probably spent around ~$250 on this, and that is with some piece substitutions. If you were to Bricklink the original pieces, I'd expect to pay upwards of $300. If you were to buy the set itself used, be prepared to pay over $400, and don't even get me started on sealed copies!

In the end, I am glad I spent the money on this. I think it is totally worth it, and it would add great display and monetary value to any LEGO city. Now its time to Bricklink the Cafe Corner!

I have had this set for a couple years or so. Its really one of my best. It survives the various times I had to stick it in my closet while cleaning. But you probably aren't reading this for my stories, but for my review. So lets get to that review.

The Basement

I will start my review off my review with the basement, which has extremely low roofing. I have so many minifigures that one of them has to live in the basement. Poor Violet...anyways, its so small that the people can't stand without the part above them to be taken off. So whenever I want to put the 1st floor on, I have to lie everyone in the basement down. But its a basement, of course its not going to be perfect. Still, it wouldn't have hurt to place another layer of bricks on. I'm sure Lego has their reasons why they didn't do that.

The Rest

I didn't do anything special with the first floor. The second floor is another person's house. The two people don't have much room but it is not really meant to be a hotel or apartment so I won't complain. The top floor is a squeeze. An old couple live up there and they don't have much room at all. One of them always is out on the balconey since they both can't fit in the room very well. When I get more houses, I will move the old couple out and have the second floor person have more room.

The Other Part of the Building

I used the roof of the other building as someone's house. Yes, I know, weird but its better than them being homeless. I have too many minifigures! The streetlamp is a nice finishing touch on the place. But you probably just want to get to the point. Yes, there is more.

The Overall View

I love this set. Its pretty amazing. It may seem like I have alot of complaints about it with the rooms being too small but I really like it. It completes my city and will complete yours too if you get it. So get it. I don't mean to be bossy but get it. Why else would you read the reviews if you weren't going to get it?

i actually bought 2 market street sets; and yes, i can now form many different buildings with these 2 same sets - a cottage (if you use the top light blue floor on its own), one building comprising just the dark blue floors and the other comprising just the light blue floors. such is the flexibility of this modular building set, and you don't have to break any brick apart! and yes, i can pile them all up in one to form a skyscraper!

I bought this set when it was released and couldn't be happier. I know our hobby is an expensive one so I won't complain about the price ($89.99) and if you use the $10 per 100 parts, you are getting a great deal only paying 90 bucks for 1248 pieces. The design of this set is extremely detailed and thoughtful. The courtyard on the left of the main building is a nice touch as are the decorations above the gate. The fruit baskets out front are awesome. The alternating gray and navy blue 1x1 plates that are above the windows look cool. I enjoyed the balconies on each floor and the top floor can be laid on top of the 2nd floor more than 1 way. The curved stairs in front of the building are realistically designed and are a brilliant design as well. This set has so many great details that there are too many to mention. I would recommend this set to anyone reading this review whether you are into town building or not because the colors included are not your usual white, red yellow and black.

Check out my MOC inspired by Market Street at my brickshelf account:

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=302749

Thank you!