{"id":102826,"date":"2025-07-29T19:17:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T19:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/102826\/"},"modified":"2025-07-29T19:17:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T19:17:09","slug":"he-built-the-city-truck-driver-spends-21-years-creating-3d-nyc-model-with-just-balsa-wood-and-glue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/102826\/","title":{"rendered":"He Built the City: Truck Driver Spends 21 Years Creating 3D NYC Model with Just Balsa Wood and Glue"},"content":{"rendered":"

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NEW YORK \u2013 Joe Macken isn\u2019t a trained architect or engineer \u2014 but he just might be New York\u2019s next top modeler.<\/p>\n


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The 63-year-old truck driver from Clifton Park has spent the last 21 years building an incredibly detailed, handmade replica of New York City out of balsa wood, Elmer\u2019s glue, and sheer determination. The result? A jaw-dropping diorama stretching 30 feet wide by 50 feet long, featuring nearly one million miniature buildings covering all five boroughs \u2014 plus slices of New Jersey, Westchester, and Long Island.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never thought in a million years I\u2019d finish the whole thing,\u201d said Macken, a Queens native, who started the project in 2004 with the RCA Building. \u201cBut I just kept building and building.\u201d he told the NY Post<\/p>\n

\nEach section is a tribute to the city\u2019s architecture, from Central Park\u2019s trees to Manhattan\u2019s tapered Freedom Tower. The painstaking work \u2014 often done in the early morning hours before his food delivery shifts \u2014 required thousands of hours and an estimated $20,000 to $40,000 in materials.<\/p>\n

As the model grew, so did his skillset. What once took him weeks now takes hours, thanks to his new technique of carving entire rows of houses from single pieces of wood.<\/p>\n

The internet has taken notice. A TikTok video showcasing Macken\u2019s model went viral, prompting praise from thousands and even a comment from YouTube\u2019s official account calling for a museum exhibit.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a catch: the thing\u2019s too big to move easily. For now, the entire model lives in a storage unit upstate.<\/p>\n

Next up? Minneapolis. Inspired by his childhood love of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Macken says his next miniature city will be a breeze \u2014 relatively speaking.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly about two years,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n

Follow VINnews for Breaking News Updates<\/p>\n

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