Through its endlessly open combinations of elementary shapes, ‘Build the Town’ expressed Sutnar’s beliefs that “in new generations there is a seed of hope planted for a better future” and that “artist and child are closest in pointing towards future horizons”.

Sutnar conceived and designed ‘Build the Town’ between 1941 and 1943, and pursued it with considerable energy and financial investment. However, due to hardships imposed during war-time and other circumstances it was never put into mass-production. Drawings and original prototypes in coloured wood now exist as the only record of the work, in private collections and institutions around the world including The Museum of Decorative Arts, Prague; The Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal and The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York.

Despite its rarity, ‘Build the Town’ should be considered among the most notable of objects for children created by significant artists, designers and architects of the twentieth century.