Flavorwire

Once upon a time, if you can believe it, New York was packed to the gills with mom-and-pop stores and specialty shops, complete with unique facades and hand-painted signs. Today, not so much. In an effort to document what’s being lost in the urban renewal process, artist Randy Hage, a model maker for the film and TV industry, recently launched a personal project that he hopes helps preserve some of New York’s most beloved storefronts, as well as the nameless bodegas and tiny shops that used to dot most city blocks.

“When I first started this series, my work was inspired and driven by the iconic visual elements of the structures and by my desire to document them before they were gone,” he explains. “My reasons for pursuing this project have changed as time has passed. Now it is more about honoring and remembering what was/is behind the façade… the people and the soul of the city.” Click through to check out a few of the amazingly-detailed sculptures in the on-going series.

Randy Hage, Nick’s Luncheonette. Mixed media, 25″ x 15″ x 8″. [Spotted via Architizer]