Each year, History Colorado honors historic preservationists and advocacy groups with the Stephen H. Hart Awards for Historic Preservation. At the 2017 event, Lee Merkel received an award for over forty years of public service as a tireless advocate for historic resources in Colorado’s southeast region. Lee’s perspective is that preservation should be a union between the recognition of history and viable use of those resources for public good. Saving “old buildings” can have a direct and positive impact on everyday Coloradans.