Historic Denver Honors City's Preservationists
Historic Denver Inc. honored the people and places that have helped to keep the city’s history alive during its 47th Annual Dinner and Awards Program at the historic Brown Palace Hotel & Spa.
Urban Ventures President Susan Powers received the Ann Love Award, which honors those who embody the spirit of Ann Love, one of Historic Denver’s founders and a former Colorado first lady. Powers has focused on urban neighborhoods close to the core of downtown. Her developments have included historic renovation, affordable housing, transit-oriented developments, brownfield redevelopment, student housing, modular housing and mixed-use projects.
In 2017, Urban Ventures redeveloped the historic former convent, Marycrest, in northwest Denver into a model mixed-income co-housing development called Aria Denver. Urban Ventures and White Construction also recently partnered to create Steam on the Platte, an adaptive reuse of a former industrial building into office space.
“This town is changing a lot, and if we don’t have someone protecting our past because that is our future, then we’re just another town,” Powers said.
The Falkenberg/Nelson family received the Keystone Award in recognition of practicing the best in preservation. Ruth Falkenberg and her late husband, Larry Nelson, have both served on numerous city boards and commissions. Among their projects are Hangar 61, the Rocky Mountain Bank Note Building, the Hardware Block and the Epworth Building in Curtis Park.
Charleszine “Terry” Nelson received the Molly Brown Award, which was created to honor a woman who demonstrates the unsinkable Margaret “Molly” Brown’s commitment to community. Nelson earned the honor for her varied achievements and leadership in preserving stories that are important to the Denver community. She is the special collection and community resource manager for the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library and the local expert on Five Points history.
For the second year, Historic Denver has presented the Remix Award honoring a project that creatively mixes old and new. Shift Workspaces Bannock, the 2017 award recipient, transformed the former Fistell’s Electronics Building in the Golden Triangle into a modern co-working space, adding a third story, new decorative elements and significant daylight.
Community Preservation Awards went to:
- The Krisana Park Overlay District, the first midcentury modern conservation overlay in Denver. It uses zoning to ensure that the special character of the southeast Denver, Joseph Eichler-inspired pocket neighborhood remains, even as the homes are renovated and updated.
- The Stanley Marketplace, which demonstrates the potential of former industrial sites to serve new community purposes.
- The Goddard School at Steele Gymnasium in the Berkeley neighborhood was converted into a learning hub for young children.
- The Bosler House, which had fallen into serious disrepair, was brought back to life by new owners, Steve and Jan Davis.
