Beginnings: Park in the Cultural Center Complex Garage, 65 W. 12th Ave., next to the Denver Art Museum, or take light rail to the Theatre District-Convention Center Station and walk 15 minutes to 1310 Bannock St. Enter through the patio on 13th Avenue.
Hours: The exhibit is free 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday– Saturday and 1–4 p.m. Sunday. To see the house, you must take a scheduled, docent-led tour on the half-hour (10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Monday–Saturday, 1:30–3:30 p.m. Sunday). The tour is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and students, and $4 for children 12 and under. Groups of eight or more must make special arrangements at 303.620.4933.
The exhibit: Women/Work/Justice emerged from a year of research. “The themes are workplace equality, pay equity, and workplace safety,” says center director Jillian Allison. “These were women who didn’t just fall in line but worked together to make change.” Each woman who visits will have her favorite here. Moms will like Mary Petrucci, who lost three children during the Ludlow Massacre and Coalfield Strike of 1914 and then worked to improve conditions for those who remained. Teachers will stop awhile to read about Marie Greenwood, who in 1935 became the first AfricanAmerican teacher in Denver Public Schools. Because I belonged to a generation of women sportswriters who had to sue to gain access to locker rooms, I was fascinated by Janet Bonnema, an engineer barred from the Eisenhower Tunnel.
The house: Alive in this beautiful 1883 Italianate mansion are stories of the Evans women. William Evans and his wife, Cornelia, lived here with their four children. Family members lived here until 1981, supporting the Denver Art Museum and construction of its addition seemingly right on top of them. Probably no two tours are alike, but I was taken by the pre-1924 wallpaper replicas, the abundance of woman-created art in the house, and, especially, the leather work of daughter Josephine and the paintings of Anne. The house alone is worth viewing, and the stories give it life.
Lunch: If you want to keep your other-era vibe going, try nearby Pints Pub (221 W. 13th Ave.), a British pub known for its Bangers & Mash and “the world’s broadest selection of single-malt whisky.” They also brew their own beers: cask-conditioned live ales. If you’d rather rejoin the 21st century, walk to the new Broadway Market (950 Broadway), a contemporary food hall with everything from sushi to empanadas to curries.
