2025 Annual Report: Built on Craft

Dear Friends of the Heurich House Museum,

Before we reopen for 2026 in just a couple weeks, I wanted to share our 2025 Annual Report and a look at the year ahead for the Heurich House Museum.

In times of uncertainty, we return to one core idea: using our strengths to strengthen our community. As a small, private house museum in a big city, we strive to be something distinct, a welcoming third space “built on craft.”

The Heurich House was constructed and decorated by historic craftspeople over 130 years ago, and in 2025 our Curator identified 46 occupations involved in this work. This work is central to our educational mission to critically question established narratives, interrogate how the gaps in historic memory are created, and actively uncover silences. This research will continue throughout 2026. 

In parallel, we are launching a multi-month initiative leading up to America 250, with public programs reflecting on who has historically accessed the American Dream - and who has not.

That spirit continues today through our belief that museums should be of service to their modern communities. In 2025, our Urban Manufacturing Incubator supported over 150 local craftspeople in their early-stage creative businesses.

None of this work is possible without the historic house. In 2025, we made critical preservation investments. Thanks to a generous donor, 154 feet of the original iron fence was restored. This year, we’ll undertake installing a new roof on our conservatory. And although it is not visible, most importantly, our team worked with professionals to craft the Museum’s first comprehensive Emergency Action Plan to protect our building and collections for generations to come. 

Looking ahead, historic house tours will resume in two weeks and the biergarten will be open as soon as the “snowcrete” melts. Over the next year, the museum will continue to use its strengths to create more opportunities to gather, rest, and learn together.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the annual report and welcoming you into the Heurich home soon. 

If you believe in this work, I invite you to support the museum as we move into this new year. Your generosity helps us preserve the house and stories previously lost to history, invest in local makers, and create space for meaningful civic dialogue.

Warmly,

Alex Fraioli, Interim Executive Director

Read the report here.