Some people look at a former doughnut shack or a boarded-up chicken shop and see evidence of Melbourne’s urban decay.

To Yarraville miniatures artist David Hourigan, they’re objects of beauty, and he’s on a mission to capture them before they disappear.

Since quitting his graphic design job in January, Hourigan has been crafting tiny replicas of industrial landmarks in the western suburbs.

One is the Olympic Doughnuts van, which closed a few years ago, having stood outside Footscray railway station for almost 40 years.