Joe Macken's Handmade Miniature New York, 22 Years in the Making, Now at MCNY

Joe Macken, a truck driver, spent 22 years building a 50-by-27-foot scale model of New York City entirely from wood, cardboard, and glue. The model, comprising 342 sections, is now on display at the Museum of the City of New York in the exhibition "He Built This City: Joe Macken's Model." Macken began the project after his earlier hybrid bridge model was damaged during a move in 2004. Inspired by a childhood field trip to the Queens Museum's Panorama of New York City, he started with 30 Rockefeller Plaza and worked outward. His daughter encouraged him to post a video on TikTok, which went viral with 10 million views. Curator Elisabeth Sherman discovered Macken through the video and brought the model to MCNY. The model includes landmarks like the Twin Towers and One World Trade Center, and visitors can use binoculars to examine details. Macken continues to expand the model, adding Westchester County up to the Tappan Zee Bridge, and plans to include Newark Airport, the Meadowlands, and Nassau County.