Design is a place where art and craft meet. The process of creating spaces brings together a multitude of artisans, designers, and architects working towards a singular concept.

Our CEO & Museum Director, Kimberly Bender, will lead a conversation with local designers and architects on Wednesday, November 20th at 6pm as part of the museum’s “Maker Month,” exploring the intersection of art and design in historic spaces.

The conversation will answer:

What can be done to create sustainable spaces?
How do we preserve historic architecture to meet modern needs?
Where does the inspiration in redesigning historic buildings come from?
Why should we save old buildings (or should we)?

Panelists:

Jack Becker, Founder and Principal of BLDUS

Jack Becker is a principal and founder of BLDUS, a DC-based architecture and development practice that operates throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, making architecture that connects past with future, modernity with tradition, and humanity with nature. Jack is a fourth-generation licensed architect, with a B.Arch from Cornell University and a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from Harvard GSD. He has been honored with a 2023 AR Vanguard Award, a 2021 AIA Young Architect Award, and a 2019 Young Architect Award from The Architect's Newspaper.

Anna Kahoe, Writer

For eighteen years you could find Anna Kahoe at the corner of 14th and U Streets, NW, behind the counter at GoodWood, a beloved shop of collected treasures from nineteenth-century furniture to a fragrance once worn by Marie Antoinette. Forever in love with Washington DC, historic dwellings, and vintage finds Anna has collaborated with S2 Development on small thoughtful projects throughout Washington DC. Also, together with her husband Dan Kahoe they have put their touch on Logan Circle's Louise Hand Laundry, Blagden Alley’s Huntress Coal Oil, and now they are enjoying a bird’s nest view of Adams Morgan in a building that was once a five and dime and also home to the legendary restaurant and bar Cites where they celebrated their wedding reception 26 years ago.

Brian Miller, Co-Founder of Edit at Streetsense

Brian co-founded Edit at Streetsense in 2012 and has led the design of over a hundred projects ranging from Michelin-starred restaurants to underground nightclubs to award-winning apartment buildings. Prior to joining Streetsense, Brian founded the hospitality design firm edit in 2008 and received his Master’s of Architecture and BFA in Architectural History from the Savannah College of Art & Design.

Moderated By: Kim Bender, Executive Director of Heurich House Museum

Kim Bender is a cultural administrator, public historian, and humanities advocate who believes history can help us understand each other and create a better world. For the past 13 years, she has led the Heurich House through its transformation into a community-focused museum exploring the American experience. Under the museum’s Urban Manufacturing Incubator program, she is the Executive Director of the DC Makers’ Guild and DC Brewers’ Guild. She is also the co-founder and President of the DC Archives Foundation, which provides philanthropic support to the District of Columbia’s historical and permanently valuable records.

Details:

Free
Pre-regestration required
Beverages allowed inside during discussion

Schedule:

5:45pm: Doors Open, Purchase your Drinks (Biergarten opens at 4pm if you want to purchase a drink before the panel!)
6-7pm: Discussion
7-7:30pm: Mingle with Panelists in the Biergarten
8pm: Biergarten closes

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This program is part Maker Month, a month-long celebration of local makers from November 15th to December 13th. The month culminates in the Heurich House Museum’s 12th annual Christmas Markt, which, for the first time, is happening for an entire week.

Maker Month & Christmas Markt are the museum’s largest annual fundraiser, and they provide a year’s worth of support to our Urban Manufacturing Incubator program. The Museum’s Incubator program builds upon the 130 year legacy of craftspeople and makers at the Heurich House - those who designed, built, and decorated the historic home, and those who the museum has helped over the last decade.

More Maker Month Programs:

Holidays at 1921 Biergarten:
- Starting November 14th | Wednesdays - Fridays 4-8pm | Saturdays 12-8pm | Free
Maker-Led Workshops:
- Pour & Sip: Candle Making | November 15th | 6-8pm | $45
- Stitch & Sip: Crochet Coasters | November 22nd | 6-8pm | $50
Decorated House Tours:
- November 14th-16th & 21st-23rd | 4:45pm | 5:15pm | 6:30pm | 7:00pm | $5
- More tours available during weekdays at Christmas Markt (Dec 10-13).
  - Tickets available onsite only.
Making Design Panel Discussion:
- November 20th | 6-7:30pm | Free
Holiday & Hops:
- November 21st | 6-8pm | $35
Christmas Markt (A Full Calendar of Markt Events will be Announced in November)
- Friday, December 6th | 4-8pm
- Saturday, December 7th | 12-8pm
- Sunday, December 8th | 12-6pm
- Tuesday, December 10th - Friday, December 13th | 4-8pm

View full calendar for more details.

Contact the host of Making Design Panel Discussion as part of Heurich Maker Month