First Latina in Colorado State Senate among new Historic Colorado honorees
Historic Denver just announced the recipients of its annual awards for projects and people preserving key historic buildings in Denver. This year's preservation project award recipients include buildings that are not only historic but provide affordable housing, advanced sustainability and have a presence that is distinctively Denver.
Among the recipients are The Colburn Hotel Apartments, which has served as low-income housing for decades, in particular serving residents who have experienced homelessness; The Slate Hotel, a Denver landmark and the original 1916 Emily Griffith Opportunity School building that was reimagined by Stonebridge Companies; Pancratia Hall, an affordable housing facility; the newly-restored Denver Art Museum, Martin Building; and Benzina, a former muffler shop turned Italian restaurant.
"We look around the city and we say, 'What are the great projects that are happening? What are people doing in Denver that help not only preserve these great structures but help us tell a story and provide a need in our city?' So, we really look at what's going on around the city," said Historic Denver's Andrea Malcom.
This year, there are also individual honorees who've made remarkable contributions to Colorado's history. CBS News Colorado Anchor Mekialaya White had an in-studio conversation with Malcom, along with award recipient Polly Baca. She earned the prestigious Molly Brown Award for devoting many years to civic life, actively engaging in politics, and historic preservation; she's broken barrier after barrier for women of color.
"It's always an honor and I'm always so grateful that Historic Denver would find me qualified for this award," said Baca. "I love Colorado and my family's been here... for 400 years. And I didn't know that until I grew up and learned more about history."
"I was privileged to be the first woman of color and Latina to be elected to the Colorado State Senate and I also had the honor of working for three presidents. President Lyndon B. Johnson as a public information officer for a White House agency, President Jimmy Carter as his Rocky Mountain States Coordinator, and President Bill Clinton as the special assistant to the President for Consumer Affairs at the White House."
Baca says her accomplishments are undoubtedly due to her personal history of overcoming adversity. "My roots, I am proud to be Mexican American. Colorado at one time was not generous to Mexican Americans. But When I was growing up in weld county in Greeley, we were segregated. We had to sit in the back of churches. There were signs like no Mexicans or dogs allowed. So, as a consequence, I had this passion as a child to change that."
And she did. She has the following advice for women of color looking to shatter their own glass ceilings. "Just believe in your own heart. Believe what's within you. By the way, it's okay to fail. I've failed. You cannot succeed without taking that risk to also sometimes fail."
Other honorees include pediatrician Dr. Renee Cousins King and architect Dennis Humphries.
Learn more about Historic Denver here: https://historicdenver.org/
