Dana Crawford Brings The Crawford Hotel to New Heights
By Jennie NunnBy Jennie Nunn|June 20, 2024|People, Travel & Recreation,
WITH THE VISION OF A PROMINENT LOCAL ARCHITECTURAL PRESERVATIONIST, DENVER UNION STATION AND THE CRAWFORD HOTEL UNDERGO A MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR RENOVATION.
The Crawford Hotel is inside Denver’s Union Station. PHOTO: COURTESY OF UNION STATION
The hotel’s newly renovated rooms. PHOTO: COURTESY OF DANA CRAWFORD
FOR OVER A CENTURY, Denver Union Station has been a beloved fixture in the Mile High City’s history, once serving as a major hub for up to 50,000 daily train travelers in its glory days (denverunionstation.com). But, after years of disuse, the Beaux Arts Revival-style landmark was brought back to life in 2014 with the debut of a dozen specialty retail purveyors and The Crawford Hotel (thecrawfordhotel.com), largely thanks to the Union Station Alliance and the tireless crusade of prominent urban preservationist and the hotel’s namesake, Dana Crawford. At 92, the Salina, Kansas, native and Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame inductee is linked to a long line of preservation and revitalization projects in Denver, including Larimer Square, The Oxford Hotel and LoDo’s Flour Mill Lofts, which were designed initially by notable architect Frank Edbrooke.
The legendary Dana Crawford. PHOTO: BY THE INGALLS
“Dana is an incredible visionary,” says Ed Blair, area general manager of Denver Union Station, The Crawford Hotel and The Oxford Hotel. “Without Dana, downtown Denver would be a much different place today. She long dreamt of a vibrant Denver Union Station, and it has been amazing to see her vision become a bustling reality over the past decade.” This summer, the great hall in Union Station and the 112-room hotel once again has Crawford’s stamp on it with a sparkling new look.
Following an $11-million refresh with design expertise from local firms Sage Studio (which also worked on the 2014 renovation) and DLR Group (of the Thompson Hotel Denver), upgrades include a lounge space dubbed The Crawford Parlour, a new guest elevator and glam, jewel-toned furniture and decor. New York-based design firm Good, Rich led the great hall’s renovation with fresh furnishings and light fixtures throughout. “I love it when people refer to the great hall as ‘Denver’s living room,’” Crawford says. “I am thrilled that we are continuing to honor the historic features of the original renovation. I hope people feel a pride of place.”