Dana Hudkins Crawford (b.1931) Dana Crawford was born and raised in Salina, Kansas. She was educated at the University of Kansas and at Harvard-Radcliffe's Business Management Program. Moving to Denver in 1954, Crawford recognized that much of the city's historic architecture was rapidly deteriorating. She became a leader in preserving Denver's historic buildings and revitalizing decayed neighborhoods. In 1970, she founded Historic Denver to protect the Molly Brown House from being razed. Soon after, when the Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA) slated over twenty blocks in Lower Downtown (LoDo) for demolition, Crawford challenged that decision. Recognizing the importance of the neigborhood's Larimer Street to Denver's history, she organized the Larimer Square Associates. She persuaded local bankers to help fund the undertaking, and Larimer Square was preserved through adaptive reuse. It became Denver's first historic district and a model for other cities. The success of Crawford's work inspired more preservation work in LoDo, and she continued to select, preserve, and adapt significant buildings, from the landmark Oxford Hotel to the Hungarian Flour Mill. A pioneer in the urban preservation movement, Crawford has been honored with the nation's highest award in historic preservation, the Louis du Pont Crowninshield Award. For more than thirty years, she has been the catalyst for Denver's urban revival and has inspired the return of vibrant activity to LoDo's streets.