In Armenian cities, small but meaningful artifacts of everyday culture are disappearing. They may lack official heritage status, yet they embody memory and identity — illuminated traffic signs, old plaques, shop signs, wayfinding boards, and other details that tell the story of the past.

We are launching a program to restore such objects, preserving memory and returning character to our urban environments. True cultural value, and even civic pride, is often hidden in the smallest details. We already have a list of artifacts scattered throughout Armenia, which we are constantly adding to.

Our pilot project is the restoration of a Soviet modernist illuminated pedestrian crossing sign in central Dilijan. This rare surviving piece from the 1970s–80s is part of the town’s modernist ensemble, still visible in buildings but stripped of many urban details.

The sign will be restored following its original design principles: renewed body, recreated graphics, and warm internal illumination that recreates the authentic “lamp glow.” This effort will create a precedent — proving such objects can and should be preserved — and will become the first step toward a public map of Armenia’s “small monuments.”