Preserving the Heurich House: Elevator
What has three doors, nine buttons, and was built in 1987? The Heurich House Museum elevator!
Though the Heurich family home was built to include an elevator shaft, Christian and Amelia Heurich never actually installed an elevator car. Instead, Christian used the stairs every day until he died at 102. But we can’t all be like him.
The elevator we use today was installed in 1987 by the Columbia Historical Society (today’s DC History Center), who used the building as their headquarters after Amelia Heurich passed away. Eventually the Historical Society moved out, but the elevator remains an important part of our operations. Today, the museum rents affordable studio spaces on the building’s third and fourth floors, called Brewmaster Studios, as part of our Urban Manufacturing Incubator program. Without the elevator, our creatives-in-residence would have to climb up and down multiple flights of stairs just to reach their offices. It’s also important that we have an elevator to ensure accessibility for museum tour and program visitors, and museum staff members whose offices are on the second floor.
With so many people accessing the Heurich House each day, it’s critical that we have a working elevator. Unfortunately, the elevator’s current operating system is the same as it was in 1987, meaning that most modern technicians do not know how to fix any issues that arise. We’ve been fortunate so far that any time the elevator has stopped functioning, the technicians who know how to fix it have been able to resolve the issue. However, that may not always be the case. To avoid future issues, or at least make those issues easier to deal with, a total system overhaul is required.
While elevator modernization needs to happen, the process will render the elevator unusable for two to three months. While less than ideal, we can prepare and plan for the time while it is out of service. The alternative of a complete and unplanned elevator breakdown would take much longer to resolve, as replacement parts take time to build and deliver. To avoid the disruption caused by eight to nine months of an unusable elevator, we will soon start planning, and, more importantly, raising money, for an elevator system overhaul.
Keep an eye out for elevator project updates and fundraising opportunities. With each donation, you are helping the museum stay safe and accessible for both current and future generations.
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