EISENHOWER–Anne. Interior Designer Anne Eisenhower Dies at 73. Interior designer and philanthropist, Anne Eisenhower, passed away on July 30. Anne was the granddaughter of Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during WWII and later the 34th President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Mamie Doud Eisenhower. Born in West Point, NY in 1949, Anne spent much of her childhood in the White House. Anne became a quintessential New Yorker, first moving to the city after seven years in South America with her then Colombian husband Fernando Echavarria. She attended the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, PA, and the New York School of Interior Design, on whose board she later served. Always true to her values and ethics, Anne was a woman of genuine kindness and always presented herself with dignity, sophistication, and grace. She was — and will always be — loved by all who knew her. As a teenager, she traveled with her grandparents on the original Queen Elizabeth cruise ship to Europe and met French President Charles de Gaulle, who quickly played second fiddle after she met her crush at the time, famed actor Hugh O’Brian. At the Eisenhower Farm in Gettysburg, PA, she also met renowned dignitaries such as former British Prime Minister Sir Winston, Churchill, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. A fun spirit and scintillating storyteller, Anne’s early ambitions were musical and artistic in nature as she was a talented singer-songwriter and guitar player. She was also active on the New York social scene, being a regular at events from the Met Gala to Studio 54. She started her professional career on the design staff of New York legend Dorothy Draper. In 1981, she began her own firm, Anne Eisenhower Inc., specializing in residential design throughout the United States and abroad. In 1990, she was named one of Architectural Digest’s Top 100 designers and made her Kips Bay showroom her second home. In 1992, she was featured on the cover of Chris Casson Madden’s book, “Rooms With A View.” She worked tirelessly with her sister, Susan Eisenhower, on the planning and substance of the Frank Geary-designed Eisenhower Memorial in Washington, DC. Sergey Eylanbekov, the Sculptor who rendered Dwight Eisenhower as both general and president at the Memorial, recalled his interactions with her, “Anne had a true love and appreciation for art; a gift for composition and a feel for the big picture. Her designs–the wonderful spaces that she created–speak for themselves. She was a great professional, creative and daring in her projects”. Anne Eisenhower will also be remembered for her charitable giving and involvement with organizations such as Casita Maria, where she served on the Board for 25 years, and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. In her later years, she supported many organizations, causes, and artistic endeavors, including being a benefactor to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Gettysburg Foundation, and the Armero tragedy in Colombia in 1985. She often represented the Eisenhower family at Legacy events, and took a special interest in the Business Council for International Understanding and the Eisenhower Fellowships. A devoted fan of New York City, Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in his tribute that she was, “A friend and a great New Yorker.” Anne was also a lover of the East End of Long Island, where she spent countless weekends with her daughter, grandchildren and numerous loving friends at her Southampton home. Anne was the daughter of military historian John Eisenhower and his wife Barbara (ne’ Thompson) and was the second oldest of four children. An exceptional mother and a devoted grandmother, Anne is survived by her daughter Adriana Echavarria and grandchildren Camila Mendoza and Nico Mendoza. She is also survived by her husband of 31 years, Wolfgang K. Flottl. Her siblings include David Eisenhower and his wife Julie Nixon Eisenhower of Philadelphia, Susan Eisenhower of Washington, DC, and Mary Jean Eisenhower of Abilene, Kansas.
Published by New York Times on Aug. 7, 2022.