'Remarkable' Winter Park Balcony House Placed On This Year's Colorado Endangered Places List
DENVER (CBS4) - CBS4's very own Dave Aguilera recently announced the 2021 list of Colorado's Most Endangered Places. Colorado Preservation Inc. creates the list every year to bring awareness to threatened historic buildings, landmarks, and archaeological sites.
On the list this year are Colorado's historic bridges, the Lafayette Head Home and Ute Indian Agency in Conejos, and the Winter Park Balcony House in Grand County.
Dana Crawford is known as Denver's preservation matron and nominated the Balcony House to the Most Endangered Places List. The Balcony House is Winter Park's original base ski lodge and is threatened to be replaced by condos.
"That would be a loss for the people of the future because it's a really remarkable building and it's very comforting," says Crawford. "It also tells a story about the people that were involved with making skiing such a popular sport in Colorado."
Crawford says programs like Colorado's Most Endangered Places bring necessary attention to buildings that are often overlooked, like the Balcony House, which is an example of mid-century architecture.
"One of the goals is to preserve buildings that are great to look at and also functional. That's exactly what the Balcony House is. This should be the spot where people can go for a cup of coffee, where they can purchase tickets, and where they can do all sorts of things efficiently."
Crawford has a long track record of revitalizing historic sites like Larimer Square and Union Station, and says she's learned some important lessons about preservation over the years.
"People are really appreciative that they can have a sense of connection with the past," says Crawford. "It's proven in tourism that people are more likely to go places where they can find remnants of history across America."
