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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Heurich Mansion, Dupont Circle

The amazing Heurich House was the home of the brewing magnate Christian Heurich, who was the successful founder of the largest brewery in Washington, DC in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood. The Kennedy Center is now built on the remains of the brewery. However, the house survives, and much to my delight since leaving DC, has become an historic house museum again backed by a foundation.Brownstone, sculpted or rusticated, dominates the front elevation.The details of the rusticated, Romanesque Revival architecture is remarkably intact, if slightly eroded from the weather./The tower dominates the corner site, with a salamander, a traditional bane of fire, crowning the tip of its roof.The side elevation is less formal, with red brick instead of rusticated brownstone.The conservatory is actually more of an eclectic classical revival design. The interior features stunning woodwork and stucco work, and the formal rooms are in a Rococo Revival style, with intact ceiling paintings bedecked with flying putti.

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