Heurich House Museum Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Christian Heurich Mansion
U.S. National Register of Historic Places


Location in Central Washington, D.C. Show map of Central Washington, D.C. Location in the District of Columbia Show map of the District of Columbia Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	1307 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.
Built	1892
Architect	John Granville Meyers
Architectural style	Late Victorian
NRHP reference No.	69000296
Added to NRHP	June 23, 1969

The Heurich House Museum, also known as the Christian Heurich Mansion or Brewmaster's Castle, is a grand home from the Gilded Age in Washington, D.C.. It is located in the Dupont Circle neighborhood. This amazing house tells the story of a successful German immigrant and brewer named Christian Heurich.

History of the Brewmaster's Castle
Who Was Christian Heurich?
- Building a Brewery Empire
Gallery
See also

History of the Brewmaster's Castle

This beautiful house was built between 1892 and 1894. The architect, John Granville Meyers, designed it for Christian Heurich. Today, the house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is an important historical site.

The first two floors of the house are still preserved. They include most of the original furniture and decorations. In 1956, Christian Heurich's widow gave the house to the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.. Later, in 2003, the Historical Society moved out. The house was then bought by the Heurich House Foundation. They turned it into a historic house museum, which is now open to everyone.

Who Was Christian Heurich?

Christian Heurich was born in 1842 in a small village in Germany. His father was an innkeeper, a butcher, and a brewer. Christian learned the brewing trade from his father and through apprenticeships. By age fourteen, he was an orphan. He traveled around Europe for a while.

His older sister, Elizabeth, lived in Baltimore, Maryland. She convinced him to move to the United States. Christian arrived in June 1866, hoping to start his own brewery. In 1872, he partnered with Paul Ritter. They leased a brewery in Washington, D.C. After a year, the partnership ended. Christian then married Amelia Mueller Schnell in 1873. Sadly, Amelia died in 1884.

Building a Brewery Empire

In 1887, Christian married Mathilde Daetz. He built their amazing mansion at 1307 New Hampshire Avenue NW. Mathilde worked closely with the designers, The Huber Brothers from New York City. Sadly, Mathilde died in 1895.

Christian focused on his work, building a huge business. In 1894, he opened a new, fireproof brewery. It could make 500,000 barrels of beer each year! This brewery was located by the Potomac River. Today, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts stands on that spot. The Christian Heurich Brewing Company was the second-largest employer in Washington, D.C., after the government.

In 1899, Christian married Amelia Louise Keyser. She was his first wife's niece. They had four children together. Christian Heurich, Sr. lived a long life, passing away in 1945 at 102 years old.