Honoring Detroit’s past. Supporting Detroit’s future.

Inspired by Dan Austin’s passion for Detroit, we are building a living legacy that is dedicated to preserving Detroit’s history while investing in the youth who will lead the city into the future. Your tax-deductible donations keep HistoricDetroit.org running as a free community resource in perpetuity and allow us to award educational scholarships to Detroit youth committed to giving back to our city.

Every building has a story.
So do we.

Fifteen years of storytelling and counting …

Your support keeps HistoricDetroit.org running as a free community resource that documents Detroit’s history through words, photos and memories. The website has always been a free community resource - and you can help keep it that way.

More than 1,000 buildings documented

We believe that buildings are made of more than just brick and mortar - they are made up of the stories of the individuals who walked Detroit’s streets before us. Each one tells a story of resilience, community and change.

Our city’s next chapter: Student scholarships

Your support will help fund scholarships for Detroit youth who are committed to giving back to our city, whether as preservationists, architects, urban planners, social workers, storytellers and more.

A legacy in progress

Together, we’re shaping the impact still to come. We are always looking for new ways to help Detroit and those who also call the city home.

For two decades, Dan Austin has been championing Detroit, documenting its history—uncovering its forgotten stories, researching its historic places and reminding us all that our city’s past should play a role in its future. After he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2024, this nonprofit was set up to ensure that his work will continue. Together, we are building on the foundation Dan has laid: preserving stories, honoring legacies and creating opportunities for Detroit youth who will carry this work forward by making a difference in the city that he loves.

Our initiatives

Preserve Detroit’s history
Detroit’s buildings and monuments are full of stories of resilience, creativity and community. We’re committed to collecting photos, histories and memories of the city’s built environment so that future generations see not just bricks and mortar, but the spirit these buildings hold. Your financial support will ensure that HistoricDetroit.org will continue to be a free community resource that documents stories of our city that might otherwise be forgotten.

01

Provide student scholarships
Dan has always believed that it is the people of Detroit who make it the greatest city in the world. Though talent and skill is spread equally, opportunity is not. To that end, it is vital that we invest in our youth and give them every tool they need to carry Detroit forward. Through scholarships, we will support students who share his passion for the Motor City, helping them to learn, grow and give back to Detroit and continue the work he started.

02

Honor Dan Austin’s legacy
Dan’s work has always been about shining a light on stories that might otherwise be forgotten. This initiative celebrates not only Detroit but one of its greatest champions — Dan’s passion, his vision, and his ability to help others see our city’s history with new eyes.

03

Learn More

Support
our initiatives

Donate

Your 100% tax-deductible gift helps make all this work possible — not only sustaining HistoricDetroit.org as a free community resource documenting Detroit’s history, but creating scholarships for the next leaders and stewards of our city. Together, we can honor Detroit’s past while investing its future.

Dan Austin and his work, as told by others

  • "Along with Michigan Central Station, the Fisher Building and the Belle Isle Aquarium, Dan Austin is a Detroit treasure. He’s a 21st century Clarence Burton. His encyclopedic website, HistoricDetroit.org, preserves Detroit’s rich architectural legacy through essays, photos, maps – even breaking news! Dan’s research and passion are making the city’s history come alive for today’s Detroiters and generations to come."

    — Bill McGraw, longtime Detroit Free Press reporter and Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame member

  • "The scope of Dan Austin’s tireless work to preserve Detroit’s storied history is extraordinary. As a historian, author, researcher and storyteller, he has given the world a deeper appreciation for Detroit’s stunning architecture, its profound place in music history and its role as a city whose innovation changed how we live today. Dan’s passion, incredible attention to detail and curious mind have elevated Detroit in the minds of its residents and those around the world."

    — Ann Delisi, longtime WDET broadcaster

  • "Dan Austin is one of the best champions for Detroit that we have. He’s a terrific writer, and a savant when it comes to Detroit music, of course. But best of all — Dan is such an original thinker. There aren’t nearly enough Dan Austins in the world."

    — Devin Scillian, longtime WDIV-TV anchor

  • “Nobody has done more to document, advocate for and share (our city’s) history than Dan Austin and HistoricDetroit.org. … This new fund will honor Detroit’s history and provide scholarships for Detroit youth so they can give back and help write Detroit’s next chapter - and, perhaps, to become Detroit's next generation of storytellers and historians. As Detroit continues to rise, preserving its history is more important that ever. I hope you'll join me in making a donation to the Austin Past & Future scholarship fund today. Together, we can all ‘make history’ in Detroit.”

    — Mike Duggan, former mayor of Detroit

  • "There’s no way to really know America without knowing Detroit. … HistoricDetroit.org, the historic architecture platform of historian, journalist and music aficionado Dan Austin, is a good place to start,, continue and complete your journey of learning about Detroit."

    — Jamon Jordan, official City of Detroit historian

Dan Austin and his work,

as told by others

  • "Along with Michigan Central Station, the Fisher Building and the Belle Isle Aquarium, Dan Austin is a Detroit treasure. He’s a 21st century Clarence Burton. His encyclopedic website, HistoricDetroit.org, preserves Detroit’s rich architectural legacy through essays, photos, maps – even breaking news! Dan’s research and passion are making the city’s history come alive for today’s Detroiters and generations to come."

    — Bill McGraw, longtime Detroit Free Press reporter and Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame member

  • “Nobody has done more to document, advocate for and share (our city’s) history than Dan Austin and HistoricDetroit.org. … This new fund will honor Detroit’s history and provide scholarships for Detroit youth so they can give back and help write Detroit’s next chapter - and, perhaps, to become Detroit's next generation of storytellers and historians. As Detroit continues to rise, preserving its history is more important that ever. I hope you'll join me in making a donation to the Austin Past & Future scholarship fund today. Together, we can all ‘make history’ in Detroit.”

    — Mike Duggan, former mayor of Detroit

  • "The scope of Dan Austin’s tireless work to preserve Detroit’s storied history is extraordinary. As a historian, author, researcher and storyteller, he has given the world a deeper appreciation for Detroit’s stunning architecture, its profound place in music history and its role as a city whose innovation changed how we live today. Dan’s passion, incredible attention to detail and curious mind have elevated Detroit in the minds of its residents and those around the world."

    — Ann Delisi, longtime WDET broadcaster

  • "Dan Austin is one of the best champions for Detroit that we have. He’s a terrific writer, and a savant when it comes to Detroit music, of course. But best of all — Dan is such an original thinker. There aren’t nearly enough Dan Austins in the world."

    — Devin Scillian, longtime WDIV-TV anchor

  • "There’s no way to really know America without knowing Detroit. … HistoricDetroit.org, the historic architecture platform of historian, journalist and music aficionado Dan Austin, is a good place to start,, continue and complete your journey of learning about Detroit."

    — Jamon Jordan, official City of Detroit historian

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