Former George Mason High School student and working photographer Nabeela Vega has turned her lens to Anthony’s Restaurant to document the Falls Church institution.

Her photography project features images taken earlier this month of the staff and patrons of Anthony’s, which has become the subject of outcry from citizens who hope to preserve the 40-year-old restaurant threatened by a downtown Falls Church development plan.

“I went to Anthony’s for lunch breaks, to catch up with old friends, bond with family, and now reminisce on every important interaction I’ve had there over coffee and a fantastic roast beef sandwich,” Vega said. It was on a recent trip home from Boston, where she currently lives while she studies at Tufts University, that she learned of the uncertain fate of the restaurant.

“I can’t explain the urgency I felt, but I knew I had to at least attempt to document the place before it was gone,” she said.

Vega will return to Falls Church later this month to continue work on her photo essay. For more information about the essay, visit nabeelavega.com/anthonys.