Before she became the preservationist powerhouse we know her as today, Dana Crawford got her start on the same historic blocks as Denver itself: Larimer Square. Named for the city’s founder, William H. Larimer Jr., this section of Larimer Street between 14th and 15th Streets was Denver’s original Main Street, home to its first residence and first city hall. It survived the devastating fire of 1863, but gradually deteriorated over the next hundred years. By the early 1960s, the block was known as Denver’s Skid Row.

As fate would have it, Dana Crawford’s car broke down on this very block in 1963 as she was shopping for antiques. Waiting for a tow truck, she was struck by the beauty of these derelict buildings, reminiscent of the ones she had so admired in Massachusetts during her college years. She resolved to try to save them — but her plans ran counter to Denver Urban Renewal Authority’s Skyline Urban Renewal Project, which looked to demolish roughly thirty city blocks to make room for new and modern development.

In response, Crawford formed Larimer Square Associates, and began quietly buying up and restoring derelict properties on the historic 1400 block. Eager to preserve as much of the buildings’ original character as possible, she hired local stonemasons, glassworkers, and craftspeople to assist in the restoration. Larimer Square Associates also tapped architect Langdon Morris Jr., who designed a series of period-sympathetic courtyards and arcades to create additional open space, creating the thriving public square our city enjoys today.

For anyone with even a passing familiarity with the Mile High City, Denver Union Station needs no introduction. The breathtaking Beaux-Arts landmark on historic Wynkoop Street dates back to 1914 and the golden age of railway travel. At its peak, the Station welcomed more than 50,000 visitors daily. But with the advent of the interstate highway system came the gradual waning in popularity of train travel, and by the middle of the 20th century, the building had fallen into disuse.

In 2001, Dana Crawford began an earnest effort to revitalize the unique landmark location, reimagining the space as a multi-modal transit hub and destination for shopping, dining, and cultural events. In 2014, the Station reopened, complete with airport rail service and the all-new Crawford Hotel — named in tribute to the visionary preservationist behind its inspired revitalization.

Less than a block away from Denver Union Station, the historic Ice House Condominium at 1801 Wynkoop Street offers a stunning example of turn-of-the-century, Renaissance-style architecture. Built in 1903, the LoDo landmark was once home to Beatrice Foods and the Littleton Creamery. Its distinctive polychromatic brick exterior is hard to miss, emblazoned with a hand-painted “Ice House” sign that harkens back to the landmark’s early days as a cold storage warehouse.

Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, the building underwent an extensive restoration led by Dana Crawford and Charles Calloway, who transformed the space into the Denver Design Center. A second, more extensive renovation in 1997 saw the building converted into 89 condominium units under the guidance of the Colorado Historical Foundation and Denver Landmark Commission. Today, the Ice House is a coveted downtown address, home to spacious, rustic-industrial lofts that boast no shortage of charm and character, including exposed brick, old-growth timber beams, and energy-efficient windows designed to perfectly replicate those of the original building.

More than a hundred years before The Crawford Hotel would open its doors to the public, Denver was the West’s original boomtown: a major rail hub thanks to newly constructed Union Station. Sensing a business opportunity, local tycoons Adolph Zang, Philip Feldhauser, and William Mygatt saw the need to create a first-class hotel that could cater to this new influx of train travelers.

The trio tapped prominent architect Frank Edbrooke — affectionately known as “the dean of Denver architecture” — to design what would become The Oxford Hotel. Built in 1891, the distinctive pink-sandstone-and-terracotta structure has a long and storied history. Once a glamorous Gilded Age hotel, it operated as an illicit speakeasy during Prohibition, complete with secret passageways and tunnels. By the 1950s, like many historic buildings in downtown Denver, The Oxford had fallen into disrepair.

In 1979, developer Charles Callaway purchased the property. Callaway joined forces with Dana Crawford on an extensive, $12-million period-sympathetic renovation that preserved much of the building’s original character. Today, you can immerse yourself in The Oxford’s Art Deco past at The Cruise Room, a historic upscale cocktail lounge that pays homage to the landmark’s speakeasy past.

Rescued from the wrecking ball, downtown Denver offers an enviable example of adaptive reuse in action, with historic buildings finding new life as contemporary apartments, hotels, businesses, and gathering spaces. For the 135-year-old Molly Brown House, however, Dana Crawford’s focus was not on reimagining the building for some new purpose, but rather, meticulously restoring it to its original glory.

A blend of Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque styles, the stately mansion at 1340 Pennsylvania Street was the onetime home of Margaret Brown, a prominent socialite, philanthropist, and Titanic survivor known to history as “the unsinkable Molly Brown.” Designed by architect William A. Lang, the house was purchased in 1894 by Margaret’s husband, self-made mining magnate J.J. Brown, for $30,000 — the equivalent of about $1.1 million today. It was used as a part-time residence by the globe-trotting couple, and even briefly served as the state governor’s mansion, before eventually being subdivided into apartments and ultimately falling into disrepair.

In 1970, the non-profit Historic Denver Inc. was formed with a mission to rescue the neglected heritage structure, spearheaded by a tenacious team of preservation-minded Denverites including Dana Crawford. Relying on architectural research, paint chip analysis, and original photographs, the group facilitated a full restoration of the mansion. It reopened in 1971 as the Molly Brown House Museum, where visitors can take a step back in time to Victorian Denver while learning about the fascinating life of the building’s iconic namesake.

Throughout her long and storied career, Dana Crawford has taken an expansive view of preservationism, one that places as much emphasis on restoring celebrated Beaux Arts landmarks as it does on reimagining Denver’s derelict industrial spaces. A prime example of this inclusive approach can be found at 2000 Little Raven Street — known today as the Flour Mill Lofts.

Another project by architect Frank Edbrooke, the century-old building overlooking Commons Park was originally home to the Pride of the Rockies flour mill. Colorado grain was stored and processed here for more than four decades before the building was abandoned and left to sit empty. In 1998, it underwent the first of two major renovations that transformed it into fourteen loft-style residences. A subsequent renovation in 2000 saw the addition of a further 33 loft units, preserving the building’s original grain silos. Today, it’s a sought-after downtown address listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Stay in grandeur and experience historic LoDo for yourself at The Crawford Hotel — your home base for urban adventure in downtown Denver. Explore design-forward rooms and suites that blend original elements of our century-old building with contemporary touches, and start planning a getaway in the Mile High City that’s truly worthy of the history books.