The city of Detroit has decayed so badly in the past 40 years that Snake Plissken would be uncomfortable walking around.

But that doesn’t mean all that blight and decay is totally unappealing. Case in point, Lost Detroit, a new book by Motor City natives Dan Austin and Sean Doerr. The pair photographed and researched many of the city’s abandoned landmarks, and what they found was fascinating, horrifying, and beautiful all at once. The book recounts the story of each structure from construction to abandonment with original photographs snapped inside the derelict buildings.

“Whether people love Detroit, hate Detroit, or are just visiting, they see these silent buildings but don’t know anything about them,” Austin tells us. “What were they? How did they get to be this way? Is there hope that they’ll be reborn?”

In most cases, there’s not a whole lot. But the book may help change that thanks in large part to its amazing photos. Check out some of the coolest on the next page.

TAGS: abandoned, detroit, lost detroit, photos, urban