Flint native Justin Wetenhall was recently appointed Commissioner to the Flint Historic District Commission on March 5 for his work in preservation, which includes the Whaley Historic House Museum, Stockton House Museum and the Durant-Dort Carriage Company.
The FHDC was established in 1970 after the passing of the Michigan Local Historic Districts Act. Commissions such as the FHDC protect neighborhoods of historic value from demolition or modernization. Each of these commissions follows the standards set by the secretary of the interior at a national level. The WHHM is a Michigan State Historic Site that has been added by the secretary of the interior to the National Register of Historic Places.
After graduating from Grand Blanc High School in 2011, Wetenhall applied to the University of Michigan-Flint. As a freshman on campus, he entered the history program. Wetenhall said his experience at UM-Flint “opened a lot of doors.” During his sophomore and junior years, he worked at the Durant-Dort Carriage Company and the Genesee County Historical Society.
As the organization’s historian for the Genesee County Historic Society, he was mainly involved in representing GCHS at town hall meetings.
“My biggest part was representing the historical society,” Wetenhall said. “I was already getting my name out there — not intentional, I just thought it was cool.”
Wetenhall also serves as the president of the Stockton House Museum, where he manages the day-to-day operations of the house.
Wetenhall at R.J. Whaley’s desk from Citizen Bank back in the early 1900s in the Whaley Historic House Museum in downtown Flint. Photo taken on Mar. 19 by Maxwell Loxton. 
Wetenhall pointing to historic paintings from Flint artist from the late nineteenth to twentieth century in the Whaley Historic House Museum in downtown Flint. Photo taken on Mar. 19 by Maxwell Loxton. 
Wetenhall pointing to Laura Whaley’s book of social events from the 1920s in the Whaley Historic House Museum. Photo taken on Mar. 19 by Maxwell Loxton.
As executive director of WHHM, he is directly involved with ongoing conservation efforts, such as the restoration of the conservatory and gardens, as well as the preservation of several historical paintings by local artists. However, it was his work volunteering and representing these institutes that got him noticed by the council. Wetenhall is also credited with bringing tourism back to the Whaley House.
“House museums have a reputation of being cold and distant,” Wetenhall said. “I opened the house when I got the position. I brought tourists to Flint to see this place. … I genuinely see this house as a passion project, and I think city hall sees that too. They at least know that I’m keenly interested in getting involved in this community.”
His extensive history of restoration efforts made him the ideal choice. “I have basically devoted my adult life to historic preservation, I’ve been passionately involved for the past decade,” Wetenhall said. After hearing of his nomination, he submitted his resume to the Flint City Council. On Feb. 21, Wetenhall received a call from city hall.
“About three weeks ago, I get a call saying, ‘Hey, there’s gonna be a resolution; your name’s gonna pop up across city council,’” Wetenhall said. “It was a little bit intimidating.’’
After a couple of days, Councilmember Ladel Lewis informed him that the resolution had passed and he was officially appointed to the FHDC.
Wetenhall said being appointed commissioner to the FHDC is an honor.
“I look forward to using my voice for the good,” Wetenhall said. “I could be wrong, but I’d like to think that my voice will carry some semblance of weight. As someone who genuinely loves my city, I love the city of Flint… and it’s a privilege to finally be in a position where I can be involved and maybe help its journey and become a part of the city’s history myself.”
Maxwell Loxton is a writer for the Michigan Times he can be reached at mloxton@umich.edu.
