With the recent good news that the historic Heurich House would be staying open to the public, DCist had a few questions regarding what the $100,000 raised thus far has been used for and what the future portends for the Dupont Circle landmark.

Gary Heurich of Friends of the Castle informed us that their prior goal of raising $250,000 goal no longer stands. Rather, the $100,000 that was raised over the past 46 days was "used by the Foundation to limit or 'reduce' the default it went into with the bank at the end of last year by keeping current with payments since the first of the year." Heurich also notes that, as a result of the bank's cooperation, the "imminent refinancing will eliminate the default entirely, thus obviating the need for the additional $150k to cure the default." So, the donations have most certainly been used for a good cause.

Though he has rejoiced that the Castle is not being foreclosed upon or sold to a private owner, Heurich noted that there is still work to do. He detailed that $1.75 million is needed by the end of 2006 "to reduce debt and thus interest cost to a point where the foundation will be fully self-sustaining from its various revenue streams (tours, rentals, programs, etc.)." Mark Griffen, Chairman of the Heurich House Foundation, similarly stated in a thank you email to the Friends of the Castle, "The resulting broader base of support developed for the Castle will certainly help future funding raising efforts as well as allow the Foundation to better serve its community."

Regarding finances, the push is still on regarding the $500,000 that District of Columbia Council-member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) has committed to securing from D.C.’s FY 2007 budget. Such funds would become available October 1 and constitute 30 percent of the $1.75 million that needs to be raised by the end of 2006. Major donors are also being courted and have expressed interest in the effort. As had been noted in promotional materials distributed to raise awareness of the Castle, over 8,400 people visited last year, an increase of 134 percent from the previous year. Thus, annually the Castle does have enough visitors and events to be self-sustaining. In addition to increasing the number of tours per week and courting major donors, the Castle also looks to organize more events and fundraisers and to increase awareness of the historical site.

It is great to see that a District landmark is to remain open to the public, largely in part to phenomenal grassroots community support and involvement. The Castle's gardens are some of the most beautiful in the area, and those from Dupont-area office workers to daycare centers are known to revel in their beauty. With this being the first day of Spring, we look forward to seeing the Castle's gardens, freshly saved and open to the public, in full bloom.