Colorado Preservation, Inc.

❤️🏛️ What an incredible evening celebrating preservation in Colorado!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this year’s Dana Crawford Awards, where we gathered to honor the people, projects, and organizations working to protect the places and stories that make Colorado special.

From transformative rehabilitation projects to dedicated advocates and preservation tradespeople, this year’s honorees remind us that preservation is powered by passionate communities, skilled craftsmanship, and a shared commitment to our heritage.

A special congratulations to all of this year’s award recipients, and thank you to our sponsors, partners, attendees, and supporters who continue to make this work possible.

📸 Swipe through to relive some of the evening’s highlights!

📺🏛️ Mark your calendars!

Join us on Saturday, June 6, at Noon for CBS Colorado's annual Endangered Places half-hour special, highlighting this year’s newest additions to Colorado’s Most Endangered Places Program.

For more than 20 years, CBS Colorado has partnered with Colorado Preservation, Inc. to help tell the stories behind the places that matter most, bringing communities, history, and preservation efforts into homes across the state.

This year’s special will feature each of the newly listed resources, exploring their history, significance, challenges, and the people working to protect them for future generations.

A huge thank you to Kevin Strong, editor, and Dave Aguilera, narrator, who have helped bring these stories to life year after year. 👏

✨ Don’t miss this opportunity to discover the places, stories, and communities shaping preservation in Colorado today.

📅 June 6, 2026
⏰ Noon
📺 CBS Colorado

💻 Outside CBS Colorado’s viewing area? Don’t worry! The special is expected to be available online following the broadcast.

📸: Kevin Strong filming an interview with Jason Medina at La Morada, one of this year’s newly listed Endangered Places.

🛠️Preservation Trades in Action🛠️

A new feature from Denver Westword shines a spotlight on the incredible legacy of Watkins Stained Glass, one of Colorado’s most cherished preservation trades businesses, and this year’s recipient of CPI's Sage Award.

For generations, the Watkins family has helped preserve some of Colorado’s most iconic places through the artistry and restoration of stained glass, including work at the Colorado State Capitol, Molly Brown House Museum, Brown Palace Hotel, Casa Bonita, churches, homes, and community landmarks across the region.

The Sage Award was created to recognize individuals and organizations whose lifelong dedication, craftsmanship, and leadership have left a lasting impact on historic preservation, and Watkins Stained Glass embodies that mission entirely and is the perfect recipient for CPI's first Sage Award. 🏛️💛

As we celebrate Historic Preservation Month, we’re proud to honor the craftspeople whose hands, knowledge, and passion keep Colorado’s historic places alive for future generations.

👏 Congratulations to Watkins Stained Glass on this well-deserved recognition!

🔗 Read the article: https://www.westword.com/arts-culture/inside-watkins-stained-glass-a-cherished-longtime-denver-business-40882515/

📸: Phil and Kitt Watkins at work. Photo by Jane Watkins.
📸: Phil at work on the Capitol Rotunda. Photo by Jane Watkins.
📸: Jane and Kitt Watkins at the University of Denver. Photo by Jane Watkins.
📸: A window at Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church in Lakewood. Photo by Jane Watkins.

🏛️ It’s Historic Preservation Month! 🏛️

This month, we celebrate the places that tell Colorado’s story and the people working every day to protect them. From Main Streets and adobe churches to industrial sites and community landmarks, preservation connects us to our past while shaping a stronger future.

But preservation doesn’t happen by accident.

It takes advocacy, investment, and community support to ensure these places remain standing and accessible for generations to come. As conversations around funding continue at the national level, it’s more important than ever to recognize the role preservation plays in strengthening local economies, supporting jobs, and honoring the full story of our communities.

💛 This month (and every month!) we’re so grateful for the partners, advocates, and communities who make this work possible.

📣 Join us in celebrating:
• Share a place that matters to you
• Tell us why it’s important
• Tag us so we can share your stories throughout the month

🏛️A very well-deserved honor for a preservation champion!

We are so proud to celebrate John Hopper, principal of Granada High School and founder of the Amache Preservation Society, on receiving The Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays by the Government of Japan.

For more than three decades, Hopper has led efforts to preserve and share the history of Amache, working alongside his students, survivors, descendants, and local community members to ensure this important chapter of Japanese American history is never forgotten.

At Colorado Preservation, Inc., we’re honored to work alongside John through the Endangered Places Program. His dedication, leadership, and commitment to preserving stories that matter continually inspire us.

👏 Congratulations to Mr. Hopper on this incredible recognition!

🔗 Read more: https://www.denver.us.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/topics20260429.html

📸: John Hopper. Photo courtesy of Rachel Woolf
📸: Min Tonai and John Hopper. Photo courtesy of Gil Asakawa

🧱 Preservation in action in Leadville! 🧱

CPI recently supported a project to address the deteriorating brickwork on the exterior of 225 Harrison Ave in Leadville, also known as the Anheuser Busch Building. This project was paid for in part by a History Colorado State Historical Fund grant, which funded brick stabilization and replacement, a mortar analysis, and mortar repointing. All repair work was completed by Agave Landscapes and Masonry, based in Salida. Currently home to Leadville Outdoors and Mountain Market and Desert Mountain Medicine, property and business owner Nadia Kimmel wants to ensure that the Anheuser Busch Building remains in good condition both visually and structurally, allowing it to continue servicing the residents and tourists of Leadville for years to come. Built c. 1895 originally as a Budweiser bottling outlet, distribution center, and tasting room, 225 Harrison Ave is a contributing building in the Leadville Historic District and has been serving the community as an outdoor gear store since 1945.

🎉Great news from one of our new Endangered Places! 🎉

The State of Colorado has announced $100,000 in grant funding to support the preservation of Hartman Castle in Gunnison, a resource recognized as one of Colorado’s Most Endangered Places this year!

This funding is part of a state initiative to support economic growth in transitioning communities, and Hartman Castle was selected because of its potential to become a preserved historic landmark, community space, and driver of local economic activity.

This investment will help move the project forward by supporting acquisition, stabilization, and long-term plans to transform the castle into a community gathering space, a heritage tourism destination, and an economic asset for the region.

👏 Congratulations to Hartman Castle Preservation and all partners involved in making this possible!

🔗 Read more: https://oedit.colorado.gov/press-release/preserving-the-past-investing-in-the-future-state-announces-100000-in-grant-funding

📸: Standing in front of Hartman Castle, one of Colorado’s Most Endangered Places. From left to right: Pamela Williams (Hartman Castle Preservation Corp.), Kevin Strong (CBS Colorado), and Jody Reeser (J Reeser Architect, LLC).

🚗🏔 Headed to Buena Vista with us? Don’t forget to book your stay!

Our hotel room block at the Best Western on HWY 24 for the On the Road Conference closes tomorrow, April 28, and we don’t want you to miss out on staying close to all the action!

Join us June 13–14 for a one-of-a-kind preservation experience exploring Buena Vista through tours, local stories, and real-world preservation in action. Plus, kick things off early with a check-in and happy hour on June 12 🍻

Rooms are limited, so be sure to reserve yours before the block closes!

📅 June 13–14, 2026
📍 Buena Vista, CO

🔗 Register for the conference: https://web.cvent.com/event/e89bfa37-f71b-42a5-a2f5-ea24f6b1f57a/register

🏨 Book your hotel: Contact the hotel and mention Colorado Preservation, Inc to take advantage of this rate: (719) 395-8009

⏰ Early rates won’t last!

Prices for the 2026 Saving Places Conference: The Case for Preservation increase after January 31.

Join preservation leaders, advocates, and practitioners from across the country for three days of ideas, hands-on learning, and meaningful connections.

If you’ve been thinking about registering, now’s the time. Save your spot (and your budget) before prices go up!

📍 DoubleTree Hotel | Denver
📅 Feb 11–13, 2026
🔗 Register now: https://web.cvent.com/event/3716bfad-c021-4322-8abf-4e9c3678cac7/summary