Denver-The Honorable John Hickenlooper will serve as the Honorary Chair of this year's Historic Denver, Inc. Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony, which will be held Wednesday, October, 21, 2009 at the Brown Palace Hotel & Spa. The event is co-chaired by Holly Kylberg and Tom Lorz, with help from the event committee of Wendy Aiello and Walt DeHaven, Jennifer Connelly, Judy Geller, Martha Kelce, Melissa Nelson, Katie Ortiz, Valere Harris Shane, Sandra Hagen Solin and Nate Williams.

The Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony will celebrate the wonderful historic places that make Denver unique and Historic Denver's role for nearly 40 years as the leading voice for saving many of the places that matter to Denver, including the Molly Brown House Museum, the Paramount Theater and Union Station.

This year, the event will include an opportunity for guests to bid on once-in-a-lifetime experiences in important Denver historic places as part of a themed silent auction. Auction items committed to date include a private party in the famous Daniels & Fisher Clock Tower on the 16 th Street Mall, a private excursion on the historic Platte Valley trolley, a Titanic-themed Dinner for 12 at the Molly Brown House Museum, and a round of golf at the exclusive Denver Country Club, the city's oldest country club.

Individual tickets to the dinner are $150. Tables for ten, including sponsorship recognition, begin at $2,000. Sponsors to date include CBIZ MHM, LLC, Sherman & Howard LLC, Colorado Historical Society's State Historical Fund, Buchanan Yonushewski Group, LLC, Burt-Hilliard Investments, Humphries Poli Architects, P.C., JE Dunn Construction Company, Shames-Makovsky Realty, Spectrum General Contractors, Inc., and Wells Fargo Bank. Sponsorship opportunities are still available.

For more information about Historic Denver, or to support its important preservation efforts, visit www.historicdenver.org or contact the Director of Development and Membership, Michael Schlut, 303-534-5288.

2009 Historic Denver Annual Awards

This year, Historic Denver will honor the following individuals and organizations that have made special commitments to local historic preservation:

Ann Love Award, named after former First Lady Ann Love and given to an individual who might not be generally regarded as a traditional preservationist, but has nonetheless shown himself or herself to embody the spirit of preservation:

John Hickenlooper, Mayor of Denver and former real estate developer and restaurateur, for the energy and creative vision that led to the creation of the Wynkoop Brewery and his ensuing efforts that spurred the wide-scale redevelopment of Denver's Lower Downtown.

Molly Brown Award, honoring a woman who has demonstrated a Molly Brown-like passion for making Denver a stronger community:

Georgianna Contiguglia, former President & CEO of the Colorado Historical Society and State Historic Preservation Officer and one-time curator of the Molly Brown House Museum, for her dedication to the State's historic places, her passion for having the stories of all varieties of Colorado citizens told for others to appreciate, and her long-time service to the community.

Keystone Award, honoring an individual who has made a significant lifetime contribution to historic preservation in Denver:

Peter H. Dominick, Jr. (posthumous), prominent local architect, historic preservationist and former Historic Denver Board member, and supporter of the local arts, for his lifetime of significant contributions toward local historic preservation and making Denver the wonderful place it is, including his efforts to save historic Lower Downtown Denver (including his role as part of the "Wazee Three"), his passion for Denver's architecture and particularly the architecture of the noted J. J. Benedict, and his commitment to the arts in Denver, including his service on the Board of the Denver Art Museum and the Mayor's Council on the Arts.

Community Preservation Awards, given to a small number of local projects representing exceptional contributions to the preservation of Denver's heritage and its historic structures:

Aromor Apartments (1310 Grant Street)-to Mercy Housing and the Buchanan Yonushewski Group for this wonderful restoration of a 1928 city landmark that will provide transitional living space to low-income families in conjunction with Denver's Road Home project to end homelessness.

Clayton Campus (3801 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd)-to the Clayton Early Learning Center for the multi-phase rehabilitation of the 1911 campus and the commitment of the organization to the inclusion of the historic campus elements in their educational mission.

Dry Ice Factory (3300 Walnut Street)-to Matthew Palmer, Jack Palmer, & Bruce Eldridge for the complete rehabilitation and creative reuse of a historic 19 th century dry ice factory and warehouse in Denver's emerging RiNo district into innovative artist studios and gallery space.

Rocky Mountain Seed Company Building (1321 15th Street)-to Jerry Glick and Johnston Wells for the revitalization and restoration of the iconic 1894 Rocky Mountain Seed Company Building after nearly 90 years as home to the seed company.

Wazee Exchange (1900 Wazee Street)-to Semple Brown, Keeney Design and MAV Development for the painstaking restoration of the 1885 Wazee Exchange Building near Coors Field.

About Historic Denver

Formed in 1970, Historic Denver is one of the nation's premiere historic preservation organizations, with a focus on preserving, advocating and educating about the places that matter to our community. As an organization, we provide resources and technical assistance for those who own or live in historic structures, support to neighborhood groups interested in local preservation, and promotion of the value of our cultural heritage as a key element of economic growth, community revitalization, and sustainability through a series of successful programs:

• The operation of the Molly Brown House Museum, which serves over 45,000 visitors and school children each year.

• Denver Story Trek, a heritage tourism initiative that draws out the special stories of Denver's buildings and shares them free via cell phone.

• The Partners in the Field Initiative, which provides resources, educational activities and technical assistance to the owners of historic structures in central Denver and the historic first-ring suburbs.

• Sacred Landmarks program, dedicated to working with churches, synagogues and temples to complete necessary stewardship projects that prolong the life and use of the structure and free up valuable resources to focus on important neighborhood and community service programs.

• A series of publications, including 24 unique Historic Denver Guidebooks that tell the stories and highlight the architecture of our city's historic resources, both large and small.