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About Us

King and Evelyn Hudson

History

The foundation for The Hudson Gardens & Event Center was laid in 1941 when King and Evelyn Hudson purchased five acres of land on a two-lane dirt road of Santa Fe Drive to house their home and restaurant, The Country Kitchen. Their restaurant was highly successful and the Hudsons retired after twenty years of operations. Upon retirement, King and Evelyn spent their time indulging their love of horticulture and growing their expansive property. Before her death in 1988, Evelyn established the King C. Hudson and Evelyn Leigh Hudson Foundation, leaving general instructions to use her estate to “promote the cause of beautification and attendant ecological benefits.”

The Hudson Foundation followed Evelyn’s instructions by developing a “regional display garden” to provide the community with a place of beauty, learning, and enjoyment by showcasing plants that grow well in Colorado’s Front Range climate. The result became Hudson Gardens, which opened to the public in June of 1996. The business was later renamed The Hudson Gardens & Event Center to reflect its expansion through educational programs, cultural programming, and rental of facilities. The Hudson Foundation is governed by an eight-person Board of Directors and run by a full-time staff of eleven. It is a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, and a Tier II organization of the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD).

Mission

The mission of The Hudson Foundation is “to serve the community by providing a forum for educational, cultural and artistic events and activities, drawing upon the beauty and resources of our regional display garden and our community partners”.

Board of Directors

Andrew Hancock
Dave Lorenz
Ron Martin
John Ostermiller
Dennis Reynolds
Bernie Sharp
Chuck Stroh
Ned White