Dec. 9-10: Candlelight Tours and Carols at Dupont’s Heurich House

The Heurich House Museum, the German brew master’s castle located south of Dupont Circle at 1307  New Hampshire Avenue NW, is offering candlelight tours this weekend, December 9-10. The mansion will be decorated in Victorian-era holiday style and will be open for the tours from 6 to 9 pm both evenings; admission is $15 for adults and $5 for children.

Traditional German Christmas carols by the Alpine Singers and Washington Sängerbund will take place at 7 and 8 pm each night. The museum will serve traditional sweets donated by local German bakeries, and Saint Nikolaus will make an appearance on Saturday evening.

This annual event takes place in the home of a German immigrant merchant, Christian Heurich. He celebrated his achievements by building the mansion in Dupont Circle; construction began in 1892 and was completed in 1894. A technological marvel, the home was crafted by German artisans, and is considered one of the most intact Victorian homes in the country.

Heurich’s brewing company was the largest non-governmental employer in DC, and he was the world’s oldest brewer at his death at 102. He is buried in Rock Creek Cemetery at the Heurich Mausoleum.  From the time of the brewery’s closing in the 1950s, there was no other brewery in DC until DC Brau Brewing opened its doors this April 2011.

Featured image: The Heurich House Museum photo is from specimenlife in the Borderstan Flickr pool.