Truck Driver's Vast Scale Model of New York City Goes on Display at Museum
Joe Macken spent two decades building an intricate 50-foot balsa wood model of New York City that went viral on TikTok and is now exhibited at the Museum of the City of New York.
A truck driver who spent two decades crafting an expansive, highly detailed scale model of his native New York City has seen his personal passion project transition from a hobby into a major cultural attraction. Joe Macken initially built the sprawling miniature landscape for fun, assembling it piece by piece over twenty years. He was delighted when his creation gained widespread attention and went viral on TikTok, ultimately paving the way for the work to be featured in an official exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York.[1][2]
The scale of Macken's endeavor is massive in both physical footprint and intricate composition. Measuring 50 feet in length and nearly 30 feet wide, the sprawling installation encompasses all five boroughs of New York City, extending outward to capture sections of suburban Long Island as well as parts of neighboring New Jersey. To recreate the metropolitan region, Macken fabricated more than 800,000 individual balsa wood structures, arranging them in street-level detail.[1]
The immense model is constructed across more than 300 large foam boards designed to lock together like interconnecting puzzle pieces. This layout allowed the extensive geography of the city and its surrounding areas to be assembled across the balsa wood and foam board base. The finished creation is currently on display at the Museum of the City of New York, where the exhibit runs through Oct. 12.[1]
