Joe Macken’s 800,000-Piece NYC Model Draws Museum Crowds
The exhibit went viral after Macken’s daughter posted clips that drew more than 10 million views in a week, the museum said.
- Since opening in February, truck driver Joe Macken's massive scale model of New York City, featuring over 800,000 balsa wood structures, has been on display at the Museum of the City of New York along museum row near Central Park.
- Driven by childhood memories of the Queens Museum's Panorama, Macken spent over two decades constructing the 50-foot-long model during his free time as a bus driver, using balsa wood and foam board.
- Viral TikTok videos showcasing the model gained more than 10 million views in one week, prompting the Museum of the City of New York to contact Macken. Chief curator Elisabeth Sherman said the model appeals to both social media followers and traditional museum-goers.
- Visitors flock to the gallery to inspect the detailed model, often using binoculars to spot landmarks; Jonathan Skolnik recently traced his family's history for his son, Tosha, pointing out his father's first address near the Williamsburg Bridge.
- The exhibit runs until Columbus Day, when Macken hopes to display his work elsewhere. Meanwhile, he plans to add more than 50 new buildings and expand the model into New Jersey and Long Island.
53 Articles
53 Articles
For the past two decades, truck driver Joe Macken has spent his free time building miniature versions of New York City. When Macken's model building went viral, he got a call from the Museum of the City of New York.
For more than 20 years, trucker Joe Macken devoted every hour of his spare time to building a giant New York model using balsa wood and foam panels in his basement.With over 800,000 hand-built structures — ranging from the Twin Towers to the One World Trade Center — his work jumped out of anonymity after his daughter posted a video on TikTok that exceeded 10 million reproductions in a week, opening the doors of the New York City Museum.
Homemade New York City model in viral video featured in museum –...
For more than two decades, truck driver Joe Macken spent his free time building a massive scale model of his native New York City out of balsa wood and foam board. When he finished, his daughter convinced him to show off the sprawling basement creation — encompassing over 800,000 structures... Read More The post Homemade New York City model in viral video featured in museum appeared first on The Horn News - Proudly American, Fiercely Independen…
The NYC scale model that’s gone viral was built by a truck driver. Now it’s in a museum
For more than two decades, truck driver Joe Macken spent his free time building a massive scale model of his native New York City out of balsa wood and foam board.When he finished, his daughter convinced him to show off the sprawling basement creation—encompassing over 800,000 structures—on TikTok. The video clips almost immediately went viral.Now Macken’s model is on display at the Museum of the City of New York, which reached out to him after …
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