By Matthew Avitabile
COBLESKILL — Joe Macken is bringing his unique model to Schoharie County. As a child in first grade, he went to the Queens Museum and saw a panorama model of New York and was “amazed by it.” In 2004, he wanted to “find a hobby” and started building the RCA building in Rockefeller Center. This led to building one, two, and three buildings at a time.
He is from Middle Village, Queens and currently lives near Albany. He moved out of the city at 20, then to Long Island until he was 42, then moved to Clifton Park in 2003.
“It was a consistent thing,” he said.
“I just loved it so much,” he said. He described the process as “addicting” and “relaxing.”
He carved the models by hand out of wood. Macken said that he had no experience making similar models prior and has “gotten better at it over the years.”
It took 11 years to build the model of Manhattan and 10 years to build the other four boroughs. He went from creating one building at a time to an entire block at a time. He was able to cut the timing from a month to a week to create a section.
Macken is a professional truck driver and delivers to many local venues, including Locomotions. He’s had the job for 18 years.
“It’s like a hobby on steroids,” he said. Many people ask him consistently about the model.
The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were his favorite buildings. He said that during the winter, you could look through the leafless trees and see the Twin Towers from his windows.
“I remember sitting on the radiator, trying to stay warm, with the blanket on me, and seeing the Twin Towers.” He remembers seeing the buildings under construction.
There are about 350 panels making up the five boroughs of the city. There is a little bit of New Jersey, Long Island, and Westchester County included. His current plans are to expand to Newark Airport, the Meadowlands, part of Nassau County, and northward all the way to the Tappan Zee Bridge. Overall, the entire model will be about 95 feet long and 50 feet wide.
“It’s gonna be huge,” Macken said.
“It’s a lifelong project. I’ll never really finish it,” he said.
His favorite part of the project is Manhattan.
Macken has become especially popular in recent months. He said that there was a particular interest in his models of Manhattan and JFK Airport.
For years, Macken’s project was not as well-known except to those around him. He downloaded TikTok (@minninycity04) and learned how to use it. After Googling how to use the account, he did a video without a mic with a “horrible background” and “disheveled” and did a video about Manhattan. The video got 9.5 million views.
The video’s popularity led to other accounts doing their own takes on the model, which led to an explosion of popularity.
“It’s so funny,” he said. This was followed up by other videos that got millions of views.
“It’s just one of those wacky, crazy stories,” he added.
The models are different from other social media videos, he said. He received very positive comments on social media.
“People are really into it,” he said.
Macken delivers to Locomotions every Friday. He was asked if he could bring the model to Schoharie County.
“When I heard that someone had spent 21 years of their life working on something that meant so much to them, and all they needed was a place to put it on display, I knew this was more than just a display — it’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment,” said Meyers.
“I had to find him a spot, and what better place than at my Aug. 23 event, paired with the Sept. 12 Remembrance of 9/11 that we’re part of.” There is a separate article about the Aug. 23 event elsewhere in this section.
The model will be at the Fairgrounds starting setting up on Saturday Aug. 23 and will be on display to commemorate the Sept. 11 attacks on Friday, Sept. 12. There may be a separate display during the time in between. We will report on additional details as the hours become more concrete.
The entire model has never been together in one piece before.
“When I set it up on the 23rd, it will be my first time seeing it all set up,” he said. The first time putting it together will be the hardest time but will become easier once the panels are ordered.
Macken said that he is not sure what to expect from the public reception. He’s received a lot of support on social media and hopes to have people come from around the area. Macken said that it could be a fun road trip.
He has been featured in the New York Post, New York Times, ABC World News, and more.
“I’m really looking forward to having it displayed and people seeing it,” Macken said.
He had been asked to display his model to the world.
“Maybe you’re right,” he said.
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