Built Brick by Brick

For over 20 years, Joe Macken spent his free time building an enormous miniature version of New York City in his basement. Using simple materials like cardboard, glue, paint, and balsa wood, he recreated nearly one million buildings, bridges, stadiums, and streets across the city’s five boroughs.

What started as one small model of 30 Rockefeller Plaza turned into a massive project covering more than 1,300 square feet. Macken never expected anyone outside his family to see it — until his daughter posted videos on TikTok and millions of people became fascinated by his work. Now, his model is featured at the Museum of the City of New York in an exhibit called He Built This City.

Macken says the project will “never be finished.” Even after decades of work, he still wants to keep improving and expanding it.

Your Task
1. Think about a hobby, passion project, or goal you care about. It could be art, gaming, sports, coding, music, fashion, collecting, building something, or learning a skill.

2. Design your own dream project: If time, money, and space were unlimited, what huge project would you create and why?