Queens Man Spends 20+ Years Recreating NYC in Miniature

A Lifelong Hobby

• 🚚 Joe Mackin, a truck driver from Queens, has dedicated over two decades to meticulously recreating New York City in miniature.
• 🏠 His passion began in April 2004 with his very first building, and has since expanded into a vast collection.

Scale and Materials

• 📏 Mackin adheres to a precise scale where every inch represents 160 feet, meaning the Empire State Building model is 7 and 3/4 inches tall.
• 📚 Before the widespread use of digital maps, he relied on library books and street views to ensure accuracy.
• 🎨 Using basic materials like balsa wood, paints, and glue, he has built 342 panels containing nearly 1 million buildings.

Unexpected Fame

• 📱 Initially focused on his private hobby, Mackin's daughter suggested he share his work on TikTok.
• 📈 His first video unexpectedly went viral, garnering 10 million views and bringing his project to public attention.
• 📦 The scale of his creation eventually required him to rent a storage unit to house the expanding model.

Personal Connection and Future Plans

• 🏘️ Mackin felt a special connection to recreating his own neighborhood, the Little Village in Queens, knowing every block by heart.
• 🏛️ After being displayed at a local fair, the miniature city has attracted interest from museums.
• 🚀 While the project is complete, Mackin is not ready to stop building, viewing the creation as an integral part of himself.