Anne Evans

Anne Evans (January 23, 1871 – January 6, 1941) was an American arts patron. She devoted her life to the founding and support of some of Colorado's largest cultural institutions, including the Denver Art Museum, the Central City Opera, and the Denver Public Library. She had decades of experience in leadership positions, particularly in the field of art. She was also a leader of a conservation effort and a fundraiser during World War I.

Anne Evans was inducted into both the Colorado Business Hall of Fame and the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 2016.

She had her own cabin built on the Evans–Elbert Ranch, called the Anne Evans Mountain Home, near Evergreen, Colorado. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Early life Anne Evans was born on January 23, 1871, in London, England. The daughter of Margaret Gray Evans and the second Territorial Governor of Colorado, John Evans. Before he was governor, he was a physician, businessman, and educational benefactor. He was one of the founders of Northwestern University and founded the University of Denver. His investments in the railroads made him wealthy. Both of her parents were involved in religious, philanthropic, and cultural endeavors. Her mother was a patron of the arts.

In Denver, she attended Miss Mary Street's School and Wolfe Hall. she studied overseas at Misses Ferris' School in Paris and the Willard School in Berlin. She became interested in the arts from an early age, likely due to the influence of her parents. Her mother was a patron of the arts, and her parents had their own art collection. She was also encouraged by William M.R. French, the director of the Art Institute of Chicago who visited the Evans home, and Henry Read, her art instructor at Wolfe Hall. She also so masterpieces of art during her visits to Europe and New York. She preferred to spend her time at the family's Evans–Elbert Ranch in Evergreen.

Career and philanthropy She was a director of the Evans Investment Company. She was a member of the board beginning in 1896.

She served on Mayor Robert W. Speer's Municipal Arts Commission from 1907 To assist farmers who did not have workers to pick produce, Evans orchestrated an effort for 100 girls from Denver to work on farms. She was head of the food conservation department of the Woman's State Council of Defense. She toured the state to address women about conservation efforts.

Opera The Central City Opera Association was co-founded in the 1930s by Evans, Edna Chappell, and Ida Kruse McFarlane. She has been known for her work on the restoration of the opera house and the creation of the festival.

Byers–Evans House, Denver, about 1889, when the photograph was taken of Evans family members. It was the home of William Gray Evans beginning 1889. In 1900, Margaret Gray Evans and her daughter Anne Evans moved into the house. Beginning in 1900, Evans and her mother, Margaret Gray Evans, lived at her brother, William Gray Evans house, called the Byers-Evans House. of a heart attack. She was buried at Fairmount Cemetery in Denver.