Denver, CO
Denver mourns Dana Crawford, a legend who shaped the city
Developer and preservationist Dana Crawford has died at 93, leaving a legacy of championing the stories of the past found in the buildings and spaces of Denver and Colorado.
“Her fingerprints are all over the place,” said Walter Isenberg, CEO and co-founder of Sage Hospitality and a close associate of Crawford for decades.
“Our city and frankly our state wouldn’t be what it is without Dana.”
“You just feel the power when you’re in her presence. And you know that what she says she means. She’s courageous, she’s bold. And my God she sees something out of nothing,” said Mary Jane Loevlie, who is leading the effort to redevelop the old Argo Mine in Idaho Springs that Crawford has been working on in recent years.
“Dana was a visionary whose passion and determination helped shape Denver into the historic and dynamic city it is today. Her legacy is found in the fabric of Denver — not just in the historic buildings she saved but also in the spirit of pride she instilled in our community,” said Denver’s City Council in a release.
Dana Crawford has restored and redeveloped nearly a million square feet of property in Denver, starting in the 1960s, with her first signature project coming after she drove down Larimer Street as she looked for opportunity and realized the historic buildings, though dilapidated, had enormous value.
“When she really first stated on Larimer Square, the notion of historic preservation wasn’t really in vogue,” said Isenberg. There were some properties being restored in St. Louis and San Francisco, soon in Boston. But urban renewal in the era commonly called for tearing down old buildings.
“She ran up against lenders and city officials and others who doubted her and they all were proved to be wrong,” said Isenberg, who later partnered with Crawford to restore the Crawford Hotel. She found herself in a world of development and finance dominated by men recalled Isenberg remembering a story she had told about seeking financial support.
“She went in to talk to these bankers and all men and the President of the bank wouldn’t even turn his chair around and look at her.”
“She was refused, turned down by all these men. So she had to have her husband be her front man,” said Mary Jane Loevlie, a friend who has been working with Crawford in recent years on the old Argo Mine project in Idaho Springs.
“She was doing the background manipulating but they were the front men saying, ‘OK Dana we can get this done for you.’”
The Argo Mine project calls for restoring the old mine building and building a gondola to a mountain top with restaurants and views along with miles of biking and hiking trails. Crawford loved the big round table where 10 people could sit in a circle and share ideas.
“Even though she had the power in the room nobody was the head of the table,” said Loevlie.
Crawford’s list of projects includes the restoration of Union Station where the Crawford Hotel bears her name – even though she didn’t want that at first. Isenberg recalls sitting in the restored Cruise Room in the Oxford.
“We walked out of the Cruise Room and walked down the street and walked into the Great Hall of Union Station and Dana said to me, she looked up and said, ‘We’re going to turn this into a great hotel.’” She had conceived rooms up on the third floor no one else may have thought of.
“What I’ve always said about Dana is, look where Dana’s going, wait four or five years and then go there because she is so far ahead of all of us,” said Isenberg.
What she recognized was the buildings were not just physical structures.
“That story was worth preserving. And with the preservation of the real estate you preserve the story of the place,” Isenberg recalled.
In the long list of projects there is Larimer Square, the Oxford, the Acme Lofts, the Edbrooke Lofts, Cooper Flats Condominiums and the Flour Mills Lofts where she lived. She had in recent years helped with projects in Pueblo and Trinidad in addition to Idaho Springs.
“We are bringing this place back to the economic generator that it once was at the turn of the 20th century and she saw it immediately,” said Loevlie.
Loevlie, who shared a birthday with Crawford, remembered her friend for the parties.
“We had some of the most raucous parties with the widest spectrum of people that you could imagine. There wasn’t a party that Dana didn’t like.”
Loevlie visited Crawford Thursday night before her passing. Earlier this month Crawford had been filing preservation documents on behalf of property in Trinidad. She was involved until the end.
“She knew I was there and she was surrounded by her loved ones in her beloved loft,” she said.
“She’s just always going to be in my soul.”
Denver, CO
Denver bans federal law enforcement officers from covering their faces, DHS says it won’t comply
Denver city leaders unanimously passed a ban on all officers, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, from wearing face coverings while detaining or arresting people. That law also requires officers to wear visible identification.
It’s the second sweeping ordinance against federal officers in Denver in just a few days. Last Thursday, Mayor Mike Johnston signed an executive order banning federal immigration agents from operating on city property without a judicial warrant.
It also directs Denver police, deputies and fire personnel to investigate reports of violence and criminal behavior.
The Department of Homeland Security responded calling the executive order “legally illiterate,” adding, “no local official has the authority to bar ICE from carrying out federal law on public property … and while Mayor Johnston continues to release pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and murderers onto their streets, our brave law enforcement will continue to risk their lives to arrest these heinous criminals.”
DHS didn’t mince words when responding to Denver’s new face coverings ban either, saying in part, “To be crystal clear: we will not abide by a city council’s unconstitutional ban. Our officers wear masks to protect themselves from being doxxed and targeted by known and suspected terrorist sympathizers. Not only is ICE law enforcement facing a more than 1,300 percent increase in assaults against them, but we’ve also seen thugs launch websites to reveal officers’ identity.”
On the other hand, the Denver City Council didn’t mince words when it approved the ban.
“It’s very disturbing to me, as an American, to see masked agents on the street,” said Councilman Kevin Flynn who represents District 2. “I don’t know what the best way is to enforce our immigration laws, but I think I know the worst way when I see it.”
“I said all along, this was a slam dunk,” added Councilman Darrell Watson of District 9.
Last month, a federal judge struck down a California law prohibiting federal agents from wearing masks. But, the city council says it made sure its ordinance is enforceable.
You have to treat all law enforcement the same,” said City Council President Amanda Sandoval. “So, our sheriffs can’t have masks. Our State Patrol can’t have masks. And federally you can’t have masks. And we delineate that within the ordinance which, that’s where California got the issue.”
Sandoval said she was monitoring the legal process and comparing the two ordinances to ensure they would be good to go.
Although the city council believes the ordinance is constitutional, the Denver Police Department says it’s still working to determine what implementation could look like, and provided this statement to CBS Colorado:
“Our Safety departments are working with the City Attorney and bill sponsors to determine what implementation could look like. Of utmost importance is discretion and prioritizing de-escalation when encountering these situations. Our goal is to apply this ordinance in a way that builds trust and transparency without putting officers, deputies, or the public at risk.”
Coupled with the city’s new executive order, Sandoval believes Denver now has the necessary guidelines in place.
“A map for residents to understand predictability, and that’s what I always want, is what can the residents be able to rely on.”
There are exemptions in place for the ban, for example: during an active undercover operation, when gear is required for physical safety, and for personnel performing SWAT duties.
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DENVER — More than 24 hours after the United States and Israel attacked Iran, Coloradans are continuing to express their feelings about what the attack means not only for the world, but here in our state.
For the second straight day, Coloradans expressed their opinions on the steps of the state Capitol about the attack by the US and Israel on Iran.
But instead of anger, as was the case on Saturday, the tone on Sunday was more cheerful.
“Today it’s a celebration about like getting our freedom back, and we would love to have people to be happy with us,” said Forzun Yalme, who helped organize the event with Free Iran Colorado.
For some Iranian-Americans, the news of the attack brings a new sense of hope that freedom is near.
“For me to be Iranian-American, in 47 years here, I learned about democracy and human rights and what I like,” detailed Amir Tosh, another member of Free Iran Colorado. “I want to transfer what your values are for democracy, human rights, freedom to my country, my motherland.”
Denver rally shows divided feelings over U.S.-Israel action against Iran
“My uncle and grandma, grandparents, they were all so happy about what happened, because we can, like, now feel the freedom,” explained Yalme.
But some Iranian-Americans are more cautious.
Colorado’s only Iranian-American state representative, Yara Zokaie, doubts the operation will have a significant impact to Iran’s leadership.
“I’m sympathetic to people who want regime change by any means necessary, but I think we also need to stop and realize what this actually means,” said Zokaie. “Regime change is not something that can happen in one airstrike.”
Zokaie admits she herself was elated to hear Iran’s supreme leader and other top officials were killed in the attack.
But she hopes Coloradans remember the innocent people who have already been killed and those who are more likely to come.
“I ask that we remember the humanity of people in the Middle East as this news unfolds. I ask that we call for a peaceful resolution that we empower Iranian people who will bring change from within, and that we call for no war with Iran,” said Zokaie.
Several people at today’s event at the Capitol approached our Denver7 team. They shared their gratitude for President Donald Trump, the US military, and the Israelis for their action in helping bring freedom to Iran.
They hope others will see that as well. They plan on being here for the next hour and a half or so.
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