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Press Kit

German-American
Heritage Foundation

German-American
Heritage Museum

Hockemeyer Hall

Press Kit

Centrally located in historic Hockemeyer Hall at 719 Sixth Street, NW in Washington, DC, the home of the German-American Heritage Museum is itself a testament to the achievements of German-American immigrants in the United States.

Built in 1888 by John Hockemeyer, a German immigrant who became a successful merchant, the Victorian townhouse is part of the Penn Quarter, historically a vibrant district of Washington, DC, originally settled by German immigrants. 

John Hockemeyer came to Washington as a 15 year-old German emigrant in 1858. After serving in the Civil War, Hockemeyer became a wealthy merchant in the grocery, coffee roasting, and meat businesses, which helped him solidify his position as a leader of Washington's prosperous German-American community. Hockemeyer Hall was a fine residence, which proclaimed both the economic coming of age of the German community and Hockemeyer's status within that community. But, most importantly, it became a vital social center for Washington's German-American business community.  

This was a prime location, situated just a block off the fashionable Seventh Street business district and in close proximity to such German community institutions as the Washington Journal Office (across the street at 710 Sixth), Dietz's Ratskeller (around the corner at 511 Seventh), and Adolph Cluss's Masonic Temple at Ninth and F Streets. 

"Hockemeyer's Hall" was constructed as a well-appointed clubhouse that included a library, meeting room, and billiard room. The Hall served as a headquarters and meeting place for a wide variety of clubs and fraternal groups, in some of which Hockemeyer served as an officer.  Hockemeyer also hosted a group called the Buena Vista Pleasure Club, which used the hall for dances and banquets.

On October 17, 2008, the GERMAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE FOUNDATION OF THE USA® acquired HOCKEMEYER HALL to establish the first national German-American Heritage Museum of the USA™. With the help of a committed network of supporters and a successful fundraising campaign, the GAHF has renovated the interior and exterior of the neglected building. Opening the German-American Heritage Museum at Hocke-meyer Hall, the GAHF traces the building back to its truest roots by re-establishing the building as a vital center for German-American relations.

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