Aaron Mondry

2 months ago | deadlinedetroit.com | Aaron Mondry

This story was originally published by Outlier Media, a nonprofit newsroom designed to center and respond to Detroiters’ needs. Dan Austin has spent the past six months doing what he does best — reflecting on the past. For nearly two decades, the Detroiter has lived and breathed the city’s history, steadily documenting its historic buildings, landmarks and famous figures.

2 months ago | outliermedia.org | Aaron Mondry

Zoe only stayed one night in a home owned by Jeffrey Cowin. That’s all it took for her to know she needed to leave. In 2022, she moved to Detroit for her first job after law school and found what seemed like the perfect rental in Brush Park — a room in a beautiful, historic mansion with a close friend and two other women. Cowin seemed friendly — maybe too friendly. Cowin, 44, is tall and fit. Several former tenants described him as charismatic.

2 months ago | outliermedia.org | Aaron Mondry

Dan Austin has spent the past six months doing what he does best — reflecting on the past. For nearly two decades, the Detroiter has lived and breathed the city’s history, steadily documenting its historic buildings, landmarks and famous figures. But lately, he’s also been thinking about his own history, making sure his work is preserved for the future. Last year, at 43, Austin was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. But he’s not slowing down.

2 months ago | outliermedia.org | Aaron Mondry

Hey all, Have you ever visited Historic Detroit? It’s a treasure trove of information about the city’s historic buildings and landmarks that I’ve featured and used countless times myself. And best of all, it’s free. This week, we wrote about the man behind it: Dan Austin. A former newsman, he’s spent nearly two decades documenting the city through its architecture. Austin was diagnosed with cancer last year, but he hasn’t slowed down. If anything, he’s picked up the pace.

Feb 7, 2025 | bridgedetroit.com | Aaron Mondry |Christine Ferretti

This article first appeared on Outlier Media and is republished here under a Creative Commons license. This story is part of The Speculators of Detroit, which looks at how bad actors have destabilized neighborhoods, left many residents without safe housing and cost the city hundreds of millions. One of the world’s largest cryptocurrency real estate marketplaces has bet big on Detroit.