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The Ann Love award was established in 1997 by the former first lady of Colorado to recognize new achievement in historic preservation and to encourage continued suppport from our community. This year’s winner is John J. Huggins.

Born in Peru, John Huggins grew up in Colorado. His preservation work began at an early age. In elementary school, Huggins and his sister went on a field trip to the State Capitol. As he climbed the creaky stairs to the top, he noticed the building’s deterioration. When he got home, his mother encouraged him to write a letter to the governor. He wrote that letter to Governor John Love and got a reply thanking him for his interest in preserving Denver’s Capitol.

John’s interest in preservation continued as a Harvard graduate student. In the mid 1980s, he took a summer job with the Boston Redevelopment Authority. One of his many restoration projects was the Charlestown Navy yard, a 19^th century naval facility.

When John moved back to Colorado, he became Director of Economic Development for the City of Denver where he worked on several preservation projects including the Denver Dry Goods building and Guaranty Bank. John renovated the historic John G. Kerr mansion designed by Jacques Benedict. He now lives in this Beaux-Arts style home on E. Seventh Ave. Parkway.

On weekends, John enjoys spending time at his latest preservation project, the Sculptured House in Genesee. John bought this building designed by Charles Deaton in 1999. Over the years, he had witnessed its deterioration. Curious as to why all the windows were boarder up, he called the owner who had abandoned his own renovation attempts. When he toured the building, John found an exposed shell with wildlife inside. He convinced the owner to sell and began the restoration. For 1 ½ years, the Sculptured House underwent a total renovation and a 5,000-sq. ft. addition. John followed the architectural plans drawn up by Charles Deaton. Deaton’s daughter Charlie and her husband Dick Antonopolis helped him successfully restore the Sculptured House to its rightful place in Colorado history. John says, “Preserving any kind of historic building has got to be a labor of love. It usually takes more time, effort and money than you initially expect, so your heart has to really be in it to do it right.”