Evans School owners transformed an abandoned Denver schoolhouse into a vibrant, multi-functional eatery and gathering place — something the woman who helped save and transform Larimer Square would surely have appreciated.

Organizations such as Denver’s Evans School and Watkins Stained Glass will be recognized at the 42nd annual Dana Crawford Awards for their outstanding contributions to Colorado’s architectural and archaeological history.  

Hosted by Colorado Preservation Inc., this year’s awards will be held May 14 at the Denver Art Museum’s Sturm Grand Pavilion, 100 W. 14th Avenue Parkway.

Colorado Preservation focuses on restoring and preserving important places of heritage. 

“We provide advocacy and technical assistance, and basic historic preservation outreach and education,” CPI Executive Director Jennifer Orrigo Charles told The Denver Gazette. “We have sessions and workshops that are all about how to save places, and how adapting historic buildings makes economic sense and helps preserve community identity.” 

Along with an annual Saving Places conference and a program focused on Colorado’s most endangered places, CPI’s annual Dana Crawford Awards recognize the legacy of the Denver preservationist through Colorado restoration projects. 

“Throughout her life, it was all about how we reuse and readapt existing buildings to meet current needs. That’s the legacy and thinking that continues with historic preservation. She was an incredible namesake for us,” Charles said.  

Crawford died in 2025 and oversaw her namesake awards for over 30 years. Her family now stands in her place and will attend this year’s awards ceremony. 

“Really, these awards are a way for us to recognize the great preservation projects that are happening across the state. Without the individuals, everything from the owners to the contractors, these projects wouldn’t be reality,” Charles said. 

Partnering with the Citizen State Bank, Colorado Preservation only awards a few places with the bank’s namesake award each year. They take nominations throughout the year. 

Denver’s Evans School received a Citizen State Bank award for the developers’ creative transformation of the 1904 school building into a functional beer garden and social gathering site. 

“These old buildings can be really challenging to figure out how to reuse. Along the way, the building really suffered at some point. We bought it with great timing just before the pandemic,” Evans School Developer Fred Glick told The Denver Gazette.  

“One of the things that was always in our minds was creating a reason for people to come into the neighborhood,” Glick said.  

Evans School developers drew inspiration from surrounding beer gardens in the Denver metro area and did extensive renovations to begin the Evans School operation. 

“We opened April last year, and we have a cafe on the ground floor that has coffee and breakfast going into lunch. The beer garden opens at 11 a.m. Every time I’m there, I see people having meetings and neighborhood discussion groups,” Glick said. 

“Adaptive reuse can be very challenging, and there are always interesting discoveries that we’re making doing these buildings. But to take one and be appreciated by the preservation community is really special,” Glick said. 

CPI also recognized Englewood’s Watkins Stained Glass Studio with a Sage Award. This is given to projects with long-lasting leadership in preservation related to crafts and trades. 

The glass studio contributed to restoring the state Capitol rotunda, the skylight of the Brown Palace Hotel, and Casa Bonita.  

To book tickets for the Dana Crawford Awards, learn about this year’s other award recipients, or more information about Colorado Preservation Inc., visit its website.