Blacksburg man creates puzzle city
George Sanzone’s 21,726 piece custom 3-D puzzle. Travis Williams/The Burgs
BLACKSBURG – When it comes to designing the perfect city, George Sanzone has a knack for putting the pieces in place.
Starting in November, the 69-year-old former Virginia Tech chemistry professor spent five weeks doing just that, as he pieced together elements from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and several other cities in his custom 21,726-piece 3D city puzzle.
“I just call it Gotham,” Sanzone said.
Sanzone said he began constructing 3D puzzles following his 1999 retirement, but soon found the standard puzzles sold in stores to be too easy.
A little more than five years ago, he decided to take his hobby to the next level, first by adding buildings to expand a pre-made puzzle of Manhattan, and later by adding an industrial area in his second attempt at a custom city.
In his most recent attempt, Sanzone said his big improvement was the addition of a residential area, which he believes will be the final touch to his work.
“My feeling is that there’s not much else I could add,” Sanzone said.
Limiting new additions may be a good thing, as Sanzone’s city — which spans over a roughly 64-square-foot area — has already outgrown his home and required him to rent a separate area for the puzzle.
While he was more than happy to share his work and explain the intricacies of his creation, Sanzone said he didn’t create his city for the attention of others.
“It’s something you do for yourself,” Sanzone said. “I call it minor creativity.”
Sanzone’s city ultimately fell, as he deconstructed it once the lease ran out on his rented space.
He said there are a few remains; however, a comeback of his creation is unlikely.
“I saved a number of what I thought were successful sections. I’m not sure I’ll ever build it again,” Sanzone said.
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