GERMAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE FOUNDATION OF THE USA® ACQUIRES HOCKEMEYER HALL
to Establish the First National German-American Heritage Center of the USA™
Washington, DC, October 17, 2008 – The dream of the founding members of the German-American Heritage Foundation of the USA® to establish the First National German-American Heritage Center of the USA™ is another step closer to reality due to the acquisition of a building known as Hockemeyer Hall. It is located at 719 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC opposite the Verizon Center.
The exterior renovations were completed in the fall of 2007. Interior renovations will now be completed by the GAHF. It is a historic townhouse, turned businessmen’s club, built initially by German merchant John Hockemeyer in 1888.
A Grand Opening is planned for spring 2009. The GAHF thanks all the members and friends who contributed so generously to permit the purchase. For the interior renovations we will need approximately $300,000 in additional capital funds.
The Center will be more than just a place to meet for all Americans of German-speaking ancestry. It will showcase our rich heritage from Jamestown to Germantown and beyond with permanent and temporary displays. There will be an exhibit on the German explorers in the discovery and scientific exploration of Alaska in the 1700/1800’s.
Moreover, the Center will feature state of the art multi-media displays varying from historical documentaries to current affairs as well as presenting today’s Germany to Americans of German-speaking descent and U.S. Citizens alike. To accomplish this we are partnering with two prestigious German institutions on German immigration to America: The “Auswanderhaus” in Bremerhaven and “Ballinstadt” in Hamburg.
The Center will also include an ambitious project: It will collect and preserve the rich heritage and contributions of German-speaking immigrants by collecting their personal data, their memories and family histories via an “audio-visual oral history project” which has been awarded a major grant by the Federal Republic of Germany.
The German-American Heritage Foundation of the USA, chartered as the United German-American Committee of the USA, Inc. in 1978 is an independent, tax exempt 501(c)3 not-for-profit educational organization.
