Truck driver built a model of NYC with over 800,000 structures for fun. Now it's a museum exhibit

A New York City truck driver, Joe Macken, has turned a lifelong passion into a major museum display. For more than two decades, Macken built a massive scale model of his hometown using balsa wood and foam board, ultimately creating a recreation with over 800,000 structures. After his daughter shared TikTok videos that quickly topped 10 million views in a week, the Museum of the City of New York contacted him to feature the work. The exhibit, titled “He Built This City,” opened in February along Manhattan’s museum row near Central Park and runs through Oct. 12. The model is 50 feet long, nearly 30 feet wide, and includes parts of New Jersey and Long Island.