de la terre: Historic Houses.. Heurich House

As I walked through the streets of DC I was noticing and enjoying the older houses. They have so much character and unique beauty. I came up the corner and saw this masterpiece. After closer inspection I learned that it was the Heurich House, the very house I had a tour for later that afternoon. I was in the Dupont Circle neighborhood so I grabbed a quick bite to eat, eager to return for my tour.

The house belonged to Christian Heurich, who started the first brewery here in the states in the late 1800s. His first wife was behind the major renovations and decorations in the house. The style was Victorian and included French Revival, Louis XIV and German influences. Mr. Heurich also incorporated many innovative elements into the house himself. This was the first fireproof house using reinforced cement walls and flooring. The wall and surface treatments were elaborate, every detail with purpose.

The first room to the right was the Parlor Room, the most elaborate room in the house. The furniture was French Revival and Louis XIV. A giant plaster cornice follows the curves of the painted ceiling.

Walls were painted dark to lighter at the top to make the walls appear taller. An early application of our current trend ombre. Plaster pendants were painted to appear bronze, a tromp l'oeil technique to make these elements look more expensive.

The Gold Parlor/Drawing Room had louvered shutters that could be pushed up into the walls for cleaning or to open the windows. The walls were painted and stenciled to look like curtains.

Elaborately carved mantle pieces in the Drawing Room. See the stenciling on the walls.

In the Dining Room, detail in the woodwork in themes of food, hunting and gaming. Every motif had a purpose and made sense to the purpose of each room.

Leg and foot to the dining room table. Very chunky and heavy, Victorian style.

Detail of wood carving on the mantle, acanthus leaves, a motif we have seen starting in Egypt.

Detailed wood paneling in the Dining room. This paneling was mass produced and cut down the cost.

Victorian chair.

Glass collection from the daughter.

The Conservatory has textured plaster walls that were originally painted brown to resemble bark, later painted a slate grey. Ceiling used to be a domed glass ceiling to let in the warm light in the winter time. One winter there was a heavy snowfall and another roof in DC collapsed so Mr Heurich had it replaced immediately.