Writing this revisit to the Daily Planet’s origins has been an incredibly nostalgic experience for me. I forgot just how tenacious I was about this miniature Metropolis. I spent countless hours painting and crafting this city; this chapter is meant to capture that work.
In the previous chapter, I wrote about the first decade of the city’s life. The entire complex lasted 20 years, and its lifespan can be divided into two separate periods. Let’s call them before my first nephew, Blake, was born, or “Before Blake (BB)” and “After Blake (AB).”
Read chapter one here
In this installment of Metropolis in Minnesota, I’ll explore the city’s complex and creative locations. In Metropolis’s prime, there were over 200 locations in the city, some inspired by their comic book counterparts, and some created by the kids who played there. I can’t explore everything in this chapter but will share tidbits about important sentimental and historic locations.
By its golden era, Metropolis spanned over 600 square feet and was over 20 feet tall. It was visible from space and could be seen from 500 feet away. The city housed nine distinct districts, all of which provided diverse characteristics to an already fascinating cityscape made from upcycled materials.
The hot glue burns and scars I received were worth it when I looked back at this project, this amazing sculpture that once was. Capturing the imaginative hub in all its imperfect perfection proved long and difficult, lasting a week. Let’s explore my favorite locations.
Downtown
Downtown was the beating heart of Metropolis. So many storied locations grew from the streets of this district, most inspired by the monuments that appear in DC Comics. We’re highlighting the more important ones in this section.
Daily Planet
The Daily Planet was Metropolis’s beating heart. It was the most detailed structure within the 600-square-foot complex and stood over six feet tall. The brown high-rise housed miniature office spaces, tiny newspapers, and little magazines in the city’s center. A self-rotating Golden Globe crowned its rooftop, making the structure a landmark all Superman fans would recognize. As the city’s top landmark, the Daily Planet became the center of all the action. It’s seen adventures, attacks, and the death and resurrection of Superman. Sadly, this is the only remaining building to survive in its entirety.
Daily Star
Before the Daily Planet, there was the Daily Star, and the history of this Metropolis reflected that of the one in comics. Significantly smaller than its competitor across the street, the Daily Star Building was adorned with a star on a spire and rooftop gardens. It was also one of the city’s many mixed-use buildings. Offices were on the top floor, and residences were on the lower floors.
Pepsi Plaza Apartments
Pepsi Plaza Apartments were named after the old wooden soda boxes they were made from. It was the city’s tallest and first apartment building and was basically a towering dollhouse. The tower was the home of Lois Lane, whose apartment was loosely modeled after the one appearing in “Superman: The Movie.” By loosely modeled, I mean it had a balcony so Superman could visit.
Emperor Building
I read somewhere in the comics that Metropolis once had an Empire State Building dopelganger called the Emperor Building, so I also decided to build one. It housed many locations, but the most significant was Sundollar, then Jitters Cafe. The rooftop was adorned with art deco adornments, a castle, and a large American flag.
Hyper Sector
In chapter one, I explained that the city’s currency was fish bowl marbles. The money was stored here, above a Walmart store. Because of its financial focus, the building was named after the Metropolis financial market in the comics.
Metro Tower
Ground space was limited in Metropolis, so I had to get creative with the Justice League’s headquarters. After watching “Justice League Unlimited,” I decided to build a tower modeled after this structure of the same name that appeared in the show. However, since this Minnesota Metropolis was in the ultimate land of crossovers, it housed all heroes, including Spider-Man, Kim Possible, and more.
Union Station
The city was massive and included many transit variations, including subway and elevated rail. Union Station, inspired by the same-named transportation center from DC Comics, was the downtown hub for this system.
Metropolis Public Safety Building
This was the hub for the city’s fire and police departments, including the Special Crimes Unit. The main level housed all the various ambulances, firetrucks, and cop cars that would be deployed to the latest disaster that unfolded in Metropolis.
Metropolis Plaza
Nicknamed “the Main Street of Metropolis,” this plaza was a creative hub and allowed the kids who played here to open their own businesses. Whatever venture they could think of, they could earn some “city money” in return.
Blake Tower
My nieces and nephew, Blake, had locations in Metropolis, which they owned and operated however they liked. They could also name them whatever they wanted. This was Blake’s. Blake Tower was a tall skyscraper-inspired office space with a light-up glass angel statue on its roof overlooking the rest of downtown. If my memory serves me right, Blake Tower was the automotive and engineering center where people could purchase vehicles and other tech. It was also the home of Wayne Technologies.
LexCorp Tower
LexCorp Tower was Metropolis’s first super-tall skyscraper. It pulled inspiration from many company variations, but was heavily inspired by LuthorCorp from “Smallville.” Standing an impressive 12 feet tall, 15 with the attached spire, it towered over the city as its tallest structure until Metropolis Tower surpassed it in 2017. It purposefully imposed upon the Daily Planet across the street to intimidate the city’s press, but its reporters were unfazed.
Metropolis General Hospital
This structure was inspired by the “Smallville” show and Superman comics. Every city needs healthcare, and Metropolis General Hospital served everyone constantly at the time. It was the most modern-looking building in the city and constantly took in injured meta-humans and citizens as adventure after adventure unfolded within the city.
Metropolis Monster Museum
As explored in chapter one, Metropolis was once known as Coolsville. This Museum is a remnant of that history. Before Superman arrived in the city, it was overrun with criminals in ghastly costumes trying their hand at the latest real estate scheme. This museum puts those costumes on display for the world to see.
Planet Square
Named after the nearby Daily Planet Building and Planet Global Network (formerly Galaxy Broadcasting), this was Metropolis’s version of Times Square. It was the city’s crossroads and was the home of our most practiced tradition, the New Year’s Eve ball drop. Every year, the kids and I would brave the frigid northern Minnesota temperatures to watch a light-up ball drop, fireworks launch, and confetti fall. Before doing this, though, we would craft homemade pizzas and drink sparkling cider with my grandmother in the house while waiting for the countdown in New York City.
Iron Gate Bridge
The Iron Gate Bridge was the city’s first landmark. It was named after the Minnesota Iron Range, of which Hibbing was a part. Hibbing was the home of this miniature metropolis.
Historic District
Metropolis’s Historic District was where the city preserved its heritage. The Metropolis Museum, a time capsule for the city’s history, was built in the neighborhood, alongside the city’s iconic Centennial Park, Metropolis Tower, and City Hall.
Metropolis City Hall
I may have built Metropolis, but I didn’t govern it. Metropolis City Hall was the home of the city’s courthouse, mayoral offices, and city council chamber. All was overseen by my niece Miley, who took the power too seriously, according to her mother and my sister Felicia. Her city council was comprised of every Disney Princess, earning them the nickname “the princess protection program.” City Hall was adorned with an eagle after my mother, Audrey, suggested the addition. Eagles were one of her favorite animals, so after she passed, I felt as if this eagle statue was a way for her to keep watch over her playing grandchildren. I still feel this beacon of hope when I see the animal in the wild. Is it Mom checking on her descendants? Without a doubt.
Metropolis Chapel of United Faiths
I had a five-year-long plan plotted out for the city’s lore, and this location was vital for the beginning and the end. It’s where a beacon was launched to invite alien invaders to conquer Earth, forcing Superman to reveal himself, and it’s where Lois and Superman got married to end my entire storyline. Modeled after any typical Christian church, the Metropolis Chapel of United Faiths had a working bell tower and an angel-lined plaza that doubled as a mini skating rink in the winter. I purposefully left the name ambiguous in an effort to remain inclusive, even though most visitors were just family.
Metropolis Tower
Metropolis Tower earned its name. The bohemouth structure, which was my niece Miley’s, stood over 25 feet tall and offered sweeping views of the entire city and the Benz Family Farm. This building was the home of the Grace Ball Room and bunk beds for city campouts. Sadly, Metropolis Tower ended up being the city’s very own Tower of Babel, as its construction made an ironic yet very appropriate bookend for the city’s 20-year history.
Centennial Park
Centennial Park was named and modeled after its DC Comics counterpart. It was the city’s largest urban greenspace and home to the Superman Statue I erected following the Death of Superman storyline I reimagined in 2016. Interestingly enough, the Statue was perched atop a pedestal my late mother made that I unwittingly bought at a local garage sale before her passing. The park also housed the city’s first working water fountain, playground, picnic area, and more.
Commerce Bank of Metropolis
As the city grew and more family members began to visit and call it their own, a need for organization arose. The city’s financial structure was established to help educate and encourage the kids who played there on how the real world operates. The Commerce Bank of Metropolis was just a series of storage cubbies that held the various accounts of all the children who played within the city.
Metropolis History Museum
Metropolis was a complex place filled with gods and monsters, and historic events took place all the time. I stored the artifacts from the kids’ adventures here for them to look back on fondly.
Blake Hotel
Though sharing the same name as my nephew, Blake, the Blake Hotel was actually named after Daphne Blake from Scooby-Doo. When I was a kid, I imagined Daphne’s family estate was established from the success of a hotel chain similar to the Tipton family in Disney’s The Suite Life series. This hotel was the first and only guest residence in Metropolis. When my nieces came into the picture, it was also home to Tiana’s Place, a restaurant pulled from “The Princess and the Frog.” The complex also held the Metropolis Sculpture Garden. During the Darkseid invasion of 2017, the pink block pyramid atop the hotel was destroyed but later rebuilt.
Audrey Benz Memorial
I was devastated after my mother died in 2017. Her sudden passing due to an accidental overdose after fighting addiction for so long made me feel so incredibly guilty. This monument, which was placed at the city’s main entrance, welcomed all guests and all her grandchildren to Metropolis with open arms.
Metropolis Center for the Arts
Metropolis Center for the Arts was never finished, but it was built. It is a staggering mirrored structure meant to provide a space for creative expression, but it became a place for great reflection instead.
Hobb’s Bay
Hobb’s Bay was named after Hobb’s Lake, which was inspired by the district from DC’s Metropolis. In this city, it was the entire water body, which was almost always dried up but imagined to be filled as the city was built around it.
SAI Aquatic Center
Shaped like a boat, the SAI Aquatic Center earns its name from the SAI Dam that appeared in Superman Comics. Our version was a residential structure and a city services center designed to monitor Hobb’s Lake and bay, which was mostly just a dry open pit.
Heroes Park
Heroes Park was home to the city’s first statue (“Toy Story’s” Woody on a horse). It was a garden scape and overview that ran alongside the city’s main highway and the edge of Hobb’s Lake. The kids and I often gardened here while looking at the city’s growing skyline.
Stryker’s Island Penitentiary
I used to have this castle. It was my favorite plaything while growing up. When my niece was born, I incorporated it into Metropolis in a new and fun way. Originally called Vazquez Castle, the place for an earlier Scooby-Doo adventure, it later became Stryker’s Island Penitentiary when a need for an advanced city prison arose. It was named after the prison in DC Comics.
Jellystone
Jellystone was the city’s biggest district land-wise. It was where a life-size playground, bounce horses, mini golf course, and nature preserve were. It was also the forefront visual of Metropolis when people came to visit.
Blake Lake Beach
Blake also had a lake, and that lake had a beach. This soft sandy plateau offered a sandbox-style play place for him and other kids to imagine themselves in a mini resort that looked onto the city’s nature preserve, Jellystone National Park.
Jellystone National Park
If you’re a fan of Hanna-Barbera cartoons like me, you’ve already recognized the name of Metropolis’s nature preserve. Named after the park in Yogi Bear titles, this nature preserve was designed to represent my respect for the natural world. Any properly civilized society needs to recognize the respect nature deserves, and this was our Metropolis’s effort to do so. Home to many activities, this place grew indigenous plants, offered comfortable seating for adults accompanying their kids, a playground, and a mini-golf course.
Madelyn Camping Grounds
Any good National Park also boasts a great camping ground, and this one was curated by my niece Maddy. It was a simple place nestled on Brealyn’s Mountain, but a fun and creative idea nonetheless.
Brealyn’s Mountain
Brealyn’s Mountain was the leftovers from Hobb’s and Blake Lakes’ excavation. It was a large, natural landscape that the kids could climb to the top of to look out over the city. It was once even a volcano, when I needed it to be.
Tomorrow District
If downtown was the heart, the Tomorrow District was the brain. This district was home to Metropolis University, Metropolis Inovex, and more. It also played host to most of the city’s high-rise apartments.
Metropolis Observatory
This structure comprised a wooden pole, spool, and lampshade. It was made simply for looks and an adventure I planned, but it ushered in a new era for Metropolis by introducing the Tomorrow District to the city. This massive expansion led to the city almost doubling in size.
Gerald Walter Bridge
After my grandfather died, I built the city’s first suspension bridge, connecting the two halves, improving walkability and transportation. It also added a little zest to the cityscape.
S.T.A.R. Laboratories
In the comics, the Science and Technology Advanced Research Laboratories, usually called S.T.A.R. Labs, is a research organization located all over the US. As a Superman fan, I was well aware of this location, but my nieces and nephews were familiar with the version that appeared in “The Flash.” So, I built a similar structure in this Metropolis and added a “dark matter explosion” to my already plotted-out storyline that gave Miley and Blake’s characters powers.
Hammersmith Tower
Hammersmith Tower, named after another Metropolis landmark in the comics, was unfinished. Crystals perched atop its roof sparkled through the city when sunlight hit them just right.
Zoo
My niece, Brealyn, was obsessed with animals and wanted a zoo, so I happily obliged by building her one. With multiple enclosures, this “Zootopia” housed animals of all kinds, including dinosaurs. Why? Because imagination was limitless in Metropolis.
Benz Farm
This was a bit of a meta project for Metropolis on the actual Benz Family Farm. However, my niece’s love for animals also prompted a need for a farm within the city limits. This was that farm. We grew beans, galloped little horses, and watched the city grow from this location.
Memorial Park
Because Metropolis was outside, we’d sometimes find a dead animal killed by some predator. To show compassion for the innocent souls lost, I built a cemetery to house the animals that died in or around Metropolis.
Pizza Palace
Pizza Palace was the go-to restaurant for all the characters of Metropolis. We made hand-painted mini pizzas for the restaurant and structured the entire thing around Scooby-Doo.
Observation Deck and City Services Center
I built this structure for my grandfather. During the last stretch of life, I was worried he wouldn’t be able to enjoy his favorite pastime, looking out over the farmland. So, I built this with the intention of him sitting atop the perch to do just that. After his passing, the deck served as a city observation location and storage for all the materials I needed for maintenance.
Metropolis International Airport
What kid doesn’t love a good aircraft? The Metropolis International Airport was the home for everything in this category, playing host to every possible imaginative adventure a child could think of, from airplanes to spaceships.
Queensland Park
Embraced by three tall Norway pines, Queensland Park was a sappy city neighborhood on the city’s west edge that offered opportunities for play. There was a kid-sized roller coaster, swing set, slides, and small electric cars. There was also a mini fair and so much more.
Old Playhouse and Picnic Area
There were times when the kids and I spent days outside in Metropolis, and we eventually needed lunch. Sometimes, we ate here. The playhouse, however, was a remnant of my childhood.
Queensland Boardwalk
Queensland Boardwalk was Metropolis’s amusement mile. It had funfair rides like a Ferris wheel, extreme swings, and roller coasters to entertain the kids.
Monarch Nature Preserve
While rebuilding my city, I discovered a plant I’d never researched: milkweed. With sweet-smelling flowers and creamy sap, the plant was full of larvae. So, when I was in town (we didn’t have Wi-Fi at the farm), I went to the net and figured out that milkweed was essential to Monarch habitats. So, I decided to preserve the place where the plants grew to provide space for one of nature’s most miraculous creatures.
Planet Picnic Pavilion
This addition to Metropolis was just for visual effects. What Metropolis wouldn’t want a light-up globe in the ranks of structures?
Metrodome
The Metropolis Metrodome was inspired by the former home of the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis. It served as the city’s primary sporting center.
Lower Metropolis
Lower Metropolis was home to many locations, most of which assisted in the maintenance of the city.
Metropolis Garden Center
The Metropolis Garden Center houses the supplies and tools needed to curate and cultivate the city’s vegetation.
Metropolis Mine
Metropolis Mine was a sandbox with a bunch of fishbowl marbles I buried for the kids to find. It was a way to help some of the city’s players build wealth within its societal structure.
Steel Works
Inspired by the famed Steelworks of Superman lore, this factory existed to entertain my nephew and nieces. They could play with dump trucks and sand with the structure. It was also home to Steel, also known as John Henry Irons.
LexCorp Warehouse
This location is a secret hideout for evildoers, and some toy collectors might be triggered by it. How was I supposed to know this toy was an essential He-Man installment? I couldn’t find a picture, but it was the Greyskul Castle.
Coolsville
Coolsville was an original neighborhood named after the city that came before. It was mostly the creative sandbox for the kids who came to play in Metropolis, proving to be more fluid and ever-changing compared to the rest of the city.
Madelyn Circle
Madelyn Circle was another entrance into the city. Welcomed by a chubby cherab, this roundabout was named by one of my nieces who thought the statue resembled my niece, Maddy.
Madelyn Lake Resort
Madelyn Lake Resort was a small pool of water where my nieces, nephews, and little cousins could play with toy boats and ATVs. It also became a habitat for local toads.
Alexis’ Residence
The same can be said about Alexis’ Residence. Her dollhouse was her character’s home within the city. Each kid who loved Metropolis got their own home.
Crystal Cove
Crystal Cove is the land of dollhouses. On the northwesternmost side of the city, it is the calm and contented district that provides a more peaceful scene when other kids are battling monsters downtown.
Blake Manor
Blake, my nephew, was another child who played in the city frequently. He needed a home for all his belongings, and he ended up in one of the oldest structures in the city.
Brealyn’s Residence
Brealyn’s house was the birthplace of a fun and cool artistic endeavour for the city, our mini Christmas Trees! Brealyn and I made small decor for houses throughout the city to enjoy.
Maddy Manor
Maddy had a house—well, she had many homes. I recall Maddy being somewhat of a drifter throughout the city’s last years of life. She wanted to explore other corners of the city. However, her buying and selling real estate did prove to be a success.
Jace’s Residence
My late, great cousin Moriah loved the city because her son, Jace, loved the city. It’s safe to say that he was Metropolis’s biggest fan because whenever he would visit the farm, he’d sprint to Metropolis without ever saying hello to the rest of us! I decided he needed his own house to feel at home there.
Next chapter: Kidizens of Metropolis
Now that we’ve explored the details of Metropolis locations and their origins, it’s time to dive into the people who made it feel alive. Miley, Blake, Brealyn, Maddy, Alexis, and Jace made Metropolis real. It grew and breathed into action because of these six kids, and I’ll share some of their most fantastic moments.
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