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 house in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington D.C. It was built during the Gilded Age, a time in American history (late 1800s) when many people became very wealthy and built fancy homes.

History of the Mansion
About Christian Heurich
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History of the Mansion

This impressive house was built between 1892 and 1894. The architect, John Granville Meyers, designed it for a German immigrant and successful brewer named Christian Heurich. The mansion is officially recognized as a historic place and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today, the first two floors of the house are kept just as they were, with most of the original furniture still inside. In 1956, Christian Heurich's wife, Amelia, gave the house to the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.. Later, in 2003, the Historical Society moved out. To protect the house from being changed into something else, the Heurich House Foundation bought it. They turned it into a historic house museum, which means it's now open for everyone to visit and learn about its past.

About Christian Heurich

Christian Heurich was born in 1842 in a small village in Germany. His father was an innkeeper, which meant he also brewed beer and was a butcher. Christian learned these skills from his father and through special training as a young man.

By the time he was fourteen, both of Christian's parents had passed away. He traveled around Europe for a while. His older sister, Elizabeth, who lived in Baltimore, Maryland, convinced him to move to the United States. She believed he would have a better chance to start his own brewery there. Christian arrived in America in June 1866.

In 1872, Christian started a business with a man named Paul Ritter. They rented a brewery in Washington, D.C. After about a year, their partnership ended. Christian later wrote in a book about his life that he did most of the hard work of brewing.

Christian married Amelia Mueller Schnell in 1873. Sadly, Amelia passed away in 1884.

In 1887, Christian married for a second time to Mathilde Daetz. He built their beautiful mansion at 1307 New Hampshire Avenue NW with Mathilde. She worked closely with the designers from New York City to decorate the inside of the house. Sadly, Mathilde died in 1895 after a carriage accident.

Christian focused on his work after Mathilde's death. He built a very successful business in Washington, D.C. In 1894, he opened a new, fireproof brewery that could make a huge amount of beer each year. This brewery was located near the Potomac River, where the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is today. The Christian Heurich Brewing Company became the second largest employer in Washington, D.C., besides the U.S. government.

In 1899, Christian married Amelia Louise Keyser, who was his first wife's niece. Even though he was 29 years older than her, they had a long marriage. They had four children together, and three of them grew up to be adults: Christian Heurich Jr., Anita Augusta, and Karla Louise. Christian Heurich Sr. lived a very long life, passing away in 1945 at the age of 102.