"Macken began the project in 2004 and stuck with it for the next 21 years, quietly recreating the five boroughs by hand in his upstate New York home. Built from everyday materials like balsa wood, cardboard and glue, the finished model measures roughly 50 by 27 feet and is made up of more than 300 individual sections. It captures the city's skyline, neighborhoods and landmarks with obsessive detail, from Midtown towers to outer-borough blocks."
"Now installed in MCNY's Dinan Miller Gallery, the model sits in conversation with the museum's core exhibitions, including "New York at Its Core" and "Timescapes." "Joe's model reflects the wonder and complexity of this city through the eyes of someone who has lived it, loved it, and painstakingly rebuilt it," said Stephanie Hill Wilchfort, the museum's Ronay Menschel director and president."
Queens-born truck driver Joe Macken spent 21 years building a handmade replica of New York City, beginning in 2004 and working from his upstate New York home. Constructed from balsa wood, cardboard and glue, the finished model measures roughly 50 by 27 feet, comprises more than 300 sections, and recreates the five boroughs with obsessive detail from Midtown towers to outer-borough blocks. A social media video last summer drew millions of views, transforming the private project into a public phenomenon. The model opens February 12 in the Museum of the City of New York's Dinan Miller Gallery, alongside core exhibitions including New York at Its Core and Timescapes.
Read at Time Out New York
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