HistoricDetroit.org is a free community resource that documents the history of more than 1,000 Detroit buildings, monuments and other historic landmarks across the city, both those still standing and those lost to time. In doing so, it also chronicles the stories of Detroiters who have come before us. There are more than 17,000 photos documenting Detroit’s beauty as well as hundreds of forgotten stories of the city and its people. With more than 100,000 followers on social media, and having received 1.5 million page views from more than half a million unique visitors last year, the site has become a respected, go-to source for journalistically accurate Detroit history.

The site was founded in June 2011 by Dan Austin, author of “Lost Detroit: Stories Behind the Motor City’s Majestic Ruins,” "Forgotten Landmarks of Detroit" and "Greetings from Detroit." He spent a decade as a journalist at the Detroit Free Press, and previously ran the Detroit history site BuildingsofDetroit.com. Helmut Ziewers was added to the team in February 2023 as the director of photography. His vision is to provide authentic visual documentation of our city, all based on real experiences.

Since March 2026, HistoricDetroit.org is under the Austin Past & Future Fund, a registered Michigan 501(c)3 organization that was set up with two missions: 1) To continue documenting the stories of Detroit’s buildings, monuments, people and neighborhoods so that they are not lost to time; and 2) to offer scholarships to Detroit youth who will carry this work into the future, ensuring the next generation of storytellers, city planners, architects, social workers and preservationists has the tools needed to succeed and continue moving Detroit forward. The Austin Fund raises money to fund HistoricDetroit.org's operating costs. To help support our missions, go to www.austinfund.org.

Contact us at [email protected].