Artists Brainstorm Vision For Broomfield Civic Center

BROOMFIELD, CO – Artists gathered Saturday in the Broomfield Auditorium to envision how the city's proposed "Civic Center" can incorporate the arts into early plans for Broomfield's proposed "downtown."

Getting early input is key to create a place that people will love and use, said legendary historic preservationist and Denver developer Dana Crawford, 87, whose company Urban Neighborhoods, Inc., has been working with the city for a decade to move the project forward.

"'The Community Is the Expert' is the number one rule of how to create a public place," Crawford said, citing the New York-based Project For Public Spaces 11 steps for "How to Turn A Place Around."

Specifically, Crawford said repurposing a former Safeway building into some kind of arts space is on the radar, as well as galleries along the proposed lakeside plaza and walk areas with 50,000 square feet of retail space. One Japanese design for a public building that incorporated living trees intrigues her, she said to the crowd.

About 65 people attended the event, including representatives from Broomfield's performance and fine-artist communities including the Broomfield Art Guild, several dance companies, Broomfield Community Players and BackStory Theater. Performers said that the auditorium had constraints such as no storage or rehearsal space, and that the stage was too small to perform a larger production, such as the Nutcracker. They hoped a performance space that better served the needs of local arts groups could fit into the Civic Center's plans.

Organizers announced a "Civic Center Creative Consortium" with two goals. One to create an official Turnpike Arts District, with certification from the state's certified creative district commission. To that end, Jason Evenson, Greeley's manager of cultural affairs, gave a brief talk about the two creative districts Greeley has created. Public art and new whimsical signage has generated buy-in from the business community, Evenson said.

The second goal was to gather around the arts as a way to influence the plans for Broomfield's Civic Center. The City and County of Broomfield which will take another step in November when the city finally negotiates business terms with Urban Neighborhoods, designers, contractors and attorneys. In spite of its ten-year journey, no final numbers have been put forward as to the cost of the big project.

Crawford urged the group to think about creating "a place, not a design," and reminded the audience that "they always say 'It Can't Be Done.'" Crawford's own history of restoring buildings such as Denver's Union Station, Larimer Square and the luxury Flour Mill Lofts has often been met with It Can't Be Done skepticism – followed by astonishment at her successes. New projects are in the works in Pueblo, Trinidad and Idaho Springs, she said.

Crawford's secret recipe for success appears in a blurb on the back of How to Turn A Place Around.

"[W]ith common sense and a lot of energy, any place can be turned around.”

You can find out more about Broomfield's Civic Center project here.

Find out more about the Turnpike Arts District here.

Image: Historic preservationist Dana Crawford at the Broomfield Auditorium via Patch.com