Welcome to The Evans

Located along the main thoroughfare of Hot Springs, The Evans is a frequent target of photos by many folks passing through. Originally built in 1892 by Fred T. Evans as The Evans Hotel, our building has survived two major fires to serve today as the home for 85 residents. Across River Street from the spectacular front porch is the Kidney Springs gazebo, one of the many springs in our area from which our town took its name.

Unique Historic Setting

The old train depot is just north of our property, next to the original jail, a popular tourist stop in town. Continue north on River Street to the Evans Plunge and the highway to Wind Cave National Park.

The Lobby is comfortably furnished for the enjoyment of socialization and there is usually a challenging jigsaw puzzle in progress on one of the large tables. A small library of fiction and paperback novels, along with videotapes of popular movies and televised shows, is available for all residents.

Evans Amenities

There are a total of 73 One Bedroom apartments and 12 Studio Apartments in the complex, with all floors served by an elevator in each building. The numerous entrances into the buildings are keyed alike for convenience of passage. A large parking lot at the back of the building, off National Avenue to the north of the building, provides off-street parking for occupants of the property.

There are at least 10 units on each floor of the main building, with attractive corridors individually color-coordinated for easy identification. Coin-operated laundry facilities are located on each floor of the main building. Each apartment is furnished with carpeting in all areas, except kitchen and bathroom, which are vinyl-flooring covered. The large windows in most of the units have deep sills for houseplants and decorative furnishings. Emergency pull-cords are located in each bedroom and bathroom for quick response from neighbors should an accident or illness need outside response. Typical floorplans below give visual respresentations and approximate measurements for planning purposes.

Floor Plan

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Download the Floorplan as a printable PDF

The Evans Image Gallery

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A Colorful History

Happy retired woman The sandstone walls of our building have withstood the ages of weather and fire to become the focus of town. The main building served as the original hotel with it’s five floors and 200 rooms for presidents, royalty, theatre greats, political giants and thousands of “just plain folks” alike. The adjoining three story Annex originally was a popular bathhouse. The first fire in 1891 destroyed the original Minnekahta Hotel on the site, but Mr. Evans moved quickly to build The Evans Hotel within 10 months at a total cost of $310,000. The Evans continued serving the town for 82 more years, but ceased operations in 1974 and was vacant until the second fire in 1977.

The conversion of the property into housing for elderly and disabled persons was completed in 1979 under guidelines of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Click map for directions:

Map to The Evans Apartments in Hot Springs, SD