The house was built in 1892–1894 by architect John Granville Meyers for German immigrant and brewer Christian Heurich.

In his 1934 autobiography, Aus meinem Leben, Heurich writes that he was the one that did most of the labor of brewing while Schnell entertained customers.

Mathilde worked very closely with the interior designers of the house, The Huber Brothers of New York City.

Sadly, due to a miscarriage and a carriage accident, Mathilde died in 1895, leaving Christian a widower again.

The Christian Heurich Brewing Company was the second largest employer in Washington, D.C., apart from the Federal Government during this time.

Twenty-nine years her senior, together they had four children, three of whom survived into adulthood: Christian Heurich Jr, Anna Marguerite (who died as an infant), Anita Augusta, and Karla Louise.