See NYC in a New Way with Façade by Randy Hage

As New York City changes thanks to the surging tide of gentrification, artist Randy Hage decided to preserve some of his favorite haunts as miniature models.

Although he was born in Los Angeles, Hage has been visiting New York at least twice a year since the 1990s. He fell in love with some of the iconic shopfronts and started photographing them, a project which turned into one of memorial as he realized many of the independent businesses he was taking photos of were being pushed out by chain stores and gentrification.

Alongside neighborhood favorites such as coffeehouses and delis, Hage made 1/12 scale models of New York institutions like CBGB, the renowned punk and new wave venue where The Ramones and Patti Smith used to play. Although most of the businesses immortalized in Hage’s models have now shut down, there are a few which survive. Katz’s Delicatessen found fame after the orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally was filmed there, and McSorley’s Old Ale House still retains the title as New York’s oldest Irish pub.

In many cities around the world, residents and regular visitors are struggling to retain a sense of community and authenticity as big business and rising rents force long-term tenants to relocate or shut down all together. Hage’s work allows the viewer to imagine New York as a diverse collection of independent businesses rather than the increasingly bland selection of chains found in cities all over the globe.