Join other Villagers as we explore the lives of turn-of-the-century Washingtonians on a tour of the historic home of brewer and immigrant Christian Heurich (1842 – 1945). Step back in time to the year 1894, and see things from the eyes of household staff, Heurich brewery workers, the craftspeople who built his home, the brewer himself, and his wife Amelia.
The Heurich House Museum’s mission is to explore the American Experience through the legacy of German immigrant Christian Heurich and his Washington, DC brewery, and to create an equitable path to success for local small-scale manufacturers. Their dual mission of public history education and public service is directly related to their core philosophy: that house museums should be dynamic and relevant to our modern communities.
The brewery was the largest in DC and a household name. It I the city's best-preserved example of Richardsonian Romanesque residential architecture and one of the most landmarked interiors in DC.
The house remained in the Heurich family until 1956, when it was bequeathed to DC’s Historical Society. In 2003, a family-created non-profit purchased the house and turned it into a museum.
DCV member and long-time Museum volunteer, Walter Albano, will give a tour that includes the carriage house and historic mansion.
After the tour you can view the museum’s exhibit about the Chr. Heurich Brewery, HOME/BREWED, or grab a Senate or Maerzen beer, both historically accurate revivals of Chr. Heurich’s original beers.
Enter the museum through the front garden gate, walk the path to the back of the garden, and go into the door on the left of the Carriage House (located in back of the garden). Walter will greet you there to begin the tour.
There are three stairs leading to the Carriage House, and there is not an elevator available. The Museum has stairs, but an elevator is also available and a tour guide can escort group members in need of the elevator entrance.