Byers-Evans House – Center for Colorado Women’s History

Byers-Evans House – Center for Colorado Women’s History

Located in the heart of the Golden Triangle neighborhood, this was home to two of early Denver’s most prominent families. The neighborhood is one of the city’s oldest, and its proximity to Denver’s Civic Center made it a very desirable place to live. Byers-Evans was originallybuilt for William Byers (1831-1903) and Elizabeth Sumner Byers (1834-1920) in 1883, and sold to William Gray Evans (1855-1924) and Cornelia Lunt Gray Evans (1863-1955) six years later. It now serves as the Byers-Evans House Museum.

William Byers was the first owner/editor of the Rocky Mountain News, and Elizabeth Sumner Byers launched several of Denver’s earliest charities. William Gray Evans was the son of John Evans (1814-1897), 2nd Territorial Governor of Colorado, and Margaret Gray Evans (1830-1906), and was the president of the Denver Tramway Company.

The house is Italianate in design and made of common plum-colored brick. The details on the exterior include arched stonework over the windows, ornate chimneys and decorative brickwork in geometric designs on different sections of the house. The original structure encompassed 3,500 square feet and now spans over 10,000 square feet of space. There is an ornamental cast iron widow’s walk that encircles all but the north side of the house. The house also features leaded glass, segmental and Tudor arches above the second story bay window and a Mansard porch roof.

In 1912, the front parlor was remodeled to become a salon. Between the family parlor and the library is an archway of Lincrusta-Walton. The house has nine fireplaces in addition to central heating. Over the years, several other alterations were made to the house. In 1900, the front porch was altered, in 1902 a bathroom and pantry were added to the north side of the house and, in 1905, a bedroom, bathroom and closet were added to the apartment wing. Following those additions, the servants’ dining room and laundry were added in 1909, and in 1911 the front stairway was moved. Keeping up with the times, an elevator was installed in 1954 behind the front stairs. In 1972 a burglar alarm was installed, and finally, new dining room wallpaper from England was installed in 1979.

References
Tremmel Goldstein, M. (2002). Women in Their Places—A Guide to Women’s History Sites. Denver, Colorado: Historic Denver, Inc.
Byers-Evans House National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form.
Voelz Chandler, M. (2013). Guide to Denver Architecture. Denver, Colorado: Fulcrum Publishing.
Pearson, M. (2007). Historic Denver Landmarks. Denver, Colorado: Historic Denver, Inc.
National Register of Historic Places, Byers-Evans Home, Denver, Denver County, Colorado, NationalRegister #70000158.

Download this site description here.