DANA and all that jazz

June 1 - September 30, 2022
College of Architecture and Planning | Second Floor Gallery
CU Denver Building | 1250 14th Street, Denver 80202
Monday - Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Dana Crawford Preservation Program at CU Denver

An exhibition in her own words

Dana Crawford is an award-winning preservationist and pioneer for urban renewal in the United States. She paved the way for redevelopment in the City of Denver, most notably in the mid-1960s when she revitalized Larimer Square, which now serves as a prototype for the redevelopment of main streets and architectural landmarks nationwide.

Placemaking can be enormously entertaining, but you have to get the vision and you have to get a sense of the soul of the place. Think of it as you have a little spotlight and if you can shine a light on the soul, you have accomplished something.

Placemaking is Dana’s instrument for community-building and preservation. We invite you to visit this exhibition to learn more about Dana Crawford and her legacy in her own words as told through interviews in the winter of 2022.

About Dana Crawford

Dana Hudkins Crawford was born in Salina, Kansas. Dana found her way to Denver following graduate work at a special program for women at Radcliffe/Harvard. She came to Denver to "find a husband." She found him and so much more! When you ask Dana what she is most proud of, she will say, "my boys." In addition to raising four wonderful sons, she has spent a lifetime preserving Denver's history, creating places for the city to come together and celebrate civic engagement.

And all that jazz

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The final title of the exhibition was suggested by Dana.

Starting in Denver on Humboldt Street in 1964, we had friends and they were big jazz fans, and they knew a lot of musicians and they started having a series of jazz parties. Then we started doing jazz at Larimer Square and then at the Oxford hotel and after the pandemic we will be doing jazz at Union Station.

In the 1960s, jazz was at the heart of Denver's soul. Crawford helped breathe life back into Larimer Square and for years the area was a destination for jazz music. As the jazz club scene brought harmony back to Downtown Denver, Crawford also redeveloped the Oxford Hotel, the Acme Lofts, the Edbrooke Lofts, and Union Station.

CAP extends a special thank you to Reed Photo and Mile High Framing for their help with the production of items featured in the exhibition.

Dana Crawford Endowed Scholarship Fund

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