Unlocking the Secrets of New York City's Most Famous Model

To put it into perspective, the Panorama of the City of New York at the Queens Museum covers nearly 10,000 square feet; that means it is very nearly the same size as the $100 million penthouse of One 57, give or take a closet or two. The thing is massive and it is, literally, awesome. Not because it is flashy or showy—it was built in the years before the 1964 World's Fair, but more on that later—but because it gives its visitors, from New York and the world over, an omniscient view of a city that is so readily segmented, defined by its boroughs and neighborhoods. New York City covers 469 square miles. At a scale of one inch to 100 feet, the panorama's Empire State Building stands a mighty 15 inches tall; the Statue of Liberty, less than two.

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