Adventures of Pinky: Downtown Lunch

Yesterday, George and I met Dana Crawford.  She has such a fascinating story.  I love her sense of humor, which is very dry and sarcastic.  Dana gave us a brief overview of her life. Growing up in Kansas, Dana went to an all girls school, so when she got to college she got very good at “hunting” boys.  She met a young geologist who caught her eye, moved to Denver. Dana jokingly said that it was her sons that drove her back to work because she needed an excuse to get out of the house.

She started off as a volunteer and then became more and more involved in the Denver community.  Dana has been on the Board for the Downtown Denver Partnership for 40 years.  Wow!

Her inspiration for Urban Renewal came from learning about a group of women form San Antonio Texas who ended up owning 30 properties along the river just to save the buildings during the 30s.  Dana pioneered the redevelopment of Larimer Square in the 60s, which she told us was an area where developers wanted to tear down the buildings and start from scratch.  Today, Larimer Square serves as a prototype for the revitalization of forgotten main streets and architectural landmarks throughout the country.  Visit Dana’s website at www.danacrawford.net/home.htmlto see great old pictures of Larimer Square as well as other accomplishments.

Her next big project is Union Station.  Dana has done so much to keep Denver’s historic charm and heritage.  What an amazing speaker!

See you next time!

-Pinky