Consultation with a conservator to develop a
collections storage plan for approximately 60 objects—original furnishings,
decorative art, and textiles—used to interpret the “Brewmaster’s Castle,” the late-Victorian
home of German immigrant, local brewer, and philanthropist Christian Heurich in
the Dupont Circle area of Washington, DC.
Building on recommendations from a 2015 collections assessment, the storage
plan would allow the house museum to better preserve objects that are original
to the Heurich family and more conveniently rotate items between storage and
public display. Collection items are exhibited
the way the family used them; displays provide insight into late-Victorian
decorating trends and the technical processes companies used to create the artifacts.
This grant will fund the
Heurich House Museum's Collections Storage Improvement Plan, which will be
created by a professional conservator to improve the preventative conservation
and accessibility of collections. The museum is the former home of Christian
Heurich (1842-1945) and his family. Heurich was a German immigrant and
Washington, DC's most successful brewer; his Christian Heurich Brewing Co. was
the largest private employer in the city at the turn of the century. The
Heurich family lived in their mansion on New Hampshire Avenue for over fifty
years and maintained many of the original furnishings and finishes throughout
the house. The materials addressed with this grant include Oriental and Persian
rugs, settees, chairs, painted murals, lighting fixtures and other decorative
pieces that illustrate popular styles and craftsmanship during the
late-Victorian period and interpret the history of the Heurich family.