Christian Heurich House Museum

Christian Heurich House Museum Review

This opulent Romanesque Revival mansion, also known as the Brewmaster's Castle, was the home of Christian Heurich, a German immigrant who made his fortune in the beer business. Heurich's brewery was in Foggy Bottom, where the Kennedy Center stands today. The building is considered one of the most intact Victorian houses in the country and all the furnishings were owned and used by the Heurichs. The interior is an eclectic gathering of plaster detailing, carved wooden doors, and painted ceilings. The downstairs Breakfast Room, which also served as Heurich's bierstube (or beer hall), is decorated like a Ratskeller and adorned with German sayings such as "A good drink makes old people young."

Heurich must have taken proverbs seriously. He drank beer daily, had three wives, and lived to be 102. The house, which is now run as the nonprofit Heurich House Museum, offers weekly guided tours and is available for special event rentals.