One night in a dimly lit Nancy Whiskeys Irish pub in Corktown, I was lucky enough to have my first meeting with Dan Austin, a man whose name does not do him justice. Of course, it is a nice name — don’t get me wrong — but I have been trying to think of a nickname that would resonate with the fact that he is a human Wikipedia when it comes to Detroit’s buildings (and funk music). As we chatted, I began rattling off buildings that I had long wondered what they had been used for. He knew the answer to most of my questions. I’d known of him for a while, he is the brains behind the book “Lost Detroit: Stories Behind the Motor City’s Majestic Ruins,” which is now into it’s sixth print run. We met up to talk about his most recent project, HistoricDetroit.org, a website serving as a venue for photographers and historians to “learn and share their love, images and memories about it’s landmarks.” For instance, I had no idea the Detroit Museum of Art was once located on Jefferson in a beautiful building that was demolished to make way for Interstate 75. In addition, if you are curious about the renovation of the David Broderick, Historic Detroit has the images to prove it, along with photographs from the building’s rough and tumble past.

Austin and Historic Detroit are working to facilitate collaborations between photographers and historians. Their combined efforts will tell a more complete story of Detroit’s places in an easily accessible fashion. For people like Austin and me, some of the best things in Detroit are under a few inches of dust, down dark roads and behind boarded-up windows. While some of Detroit’s best architecture and culturally important buildings only exist in memories and photographs, others wait in the dark to be called into action once again. Some are seeing their lights turned on after many years of neglect. Historic Detroit is giving Detroit’s favorite and forgotten spaces a chance to talk and be heard. In a city whose face changes daily, this site could play a role in shaping the way we understand our collective history.

Austin says it best in his own words. See the following interview below.

VM: Tell me a little bit about Historic Detroit. What was the main inspiration?

DA: HistoricDetroit.org was born from the ashes of BuildingsofDetroit.com. I had worked with a photographer on that site for about five years, and he shot the photos for the book I did. We reached a point where we had different visions for the future of the site. I wanted to make the site more of a community resource and force to help other photographers and writers tell the story of this city. I love the hell out of Detroit, but that doesn’t mean I should be the only one telling its story, you know? So we agreed to go our separate ways, and I put it out there that we wanted everybody to contribute. So far, we’ve had only a couple of people write; we’ve had a few more than that to submit photos. I figure once word gets out, we’ll see more submissions. I also think once we get a few of the city’s better-known, top-shelf photographers sharing their work, people will trust that I’m not going to run off selling prints of their work or something. We’re still in beta mode right now, anyway.

VM: I have wanted to write about Historic Detroit since we talked about it but needed to find an angle that would make it appeal to the Knight audience. What I think is really interesting is how you are using art to illustrate our history. I think that you are fostering a unique relationship by giving photographers an opportunity to learn more about the spaces they photograph, a venue for their work to be seen and possibly sold. Being a photographer myself, who is overprotective of her images, I (and others like me) need to recognize this shared value.

DA: Most people want to look at the photos. That’s the main draw. I think seven out of 10 of our visitors are looking for photos, so the words are only a small part of the picture. There are so many talented photographers out there —and way more talented than I am, for sure — so it makes sense to let the masters do their thing. I just want to give them a place to get greater exposure and help put a little more context behind their photos. The number of photos of Woodward Avenue Presbyterian Church that are titled only “St. Curvy” on Flickr is almost motivation alone. I imagine there are many people who see a photo of that beautiful church and want to know when it was built, what it’s story is and how it got to be this way.

VM: What role does photography play on the website?

DA: No writer on the planet can capture the beauty of the Guardian Building in mere words. Much of Detroit’s beauty has to be seen to be believed. I can go on and on and on about Romanesque arches and Corinthian columns, but why not show the readers what I’m talking about instead?

VM: How have you collected all of this information?

DA: Old newspaper clippings. The Burton Collection at the main branch of the Detroit Public Library is a godsend and a true treasure of the city. Some books here and there, but mostly newspapers.

VM: How are you finding images?

DA: Either I shoot them myself, or I have friends who shoot them. We’re hoping more photographers — and they don’t have to be professional photographers — will share their work on the site for all to see.

VM: How can photographers get involved?

DA: They can e-mail their images to [email protected]. We just ask that they include what the photo is of and how they want to be credited. All photographers are credited and maintain all rights to their work. Think of us as an online gallery or installation space.

VM: What do you hope people take away from visiting the website?

DA: I hope they walk away with a great appreciation for our city, maybe more pride, maybe a greater sense of history. I want people to know that there’s a story behind the boarded-up windows. I want them to know about the people who built these landmarks, who lived and worked and played in them. Maybe it will make people give a damn about these places and not just let them fall one after another to the wrecking ball.

VM: In the past, federal programs existed to support photographers in their efforts to document our changing land and cityscapes. I may be way off base, but do you think websites like this could help fill that empty spot?

DA: I think sites like Historic Detroit can help people get noticed or serve as clips or resume-builders. The focus of the site is on the city, not on making money. The site is ad-free and there’s no money coming in. If I had money or funding, I would support contributors to the site and help photographers and writers. Who knows what’s in the future in terms of grants or donations.

VM: What is your favorite building in Detroit?

DA: That’s like asking a mother of 1,000 to pick her favorite child. I don’t know whether I could pick my favorite church let alone my favorite building. I’d probably say my favorite ruin is the Farwell Building in Capitol Park.

VM: I feel like I can’t discount your book “Lost Detroit” in this interview, any other books in the works?

DA: I’d like to do another one, focusing on the truly, truly lost buildings of Detroit. The number of incredible structures that have been gobbled up for parking lots or erased from the landscape simply because they were old. Those in Detroit who don’t learn from their mistakes are doomed to keep on leveling landmarks.

VM: Maybe it’s just me but, in regards to your own and Amy Elliott Bragg’s recent release, “Hidden History of Detroit,” do you think historians are going to be Detroit’s newest rock stars?

DA: Ha. Not a chance. I know that Amy and I do it for the love of the game. There’s no fame to be had here.

VM: What do you see for the future of Historic Detroit?

DA: I hope it becomes a place where people who love the city of Detroit come to learn more about it and help tell its story through pictures and words.