Barnum Museum
| The Barnum Museum | |
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Byzantine, Islamic, Gothic and Romanesque influences |
| Town or city | 820 Main Street Bridgeport, Connecticut |
| Country | United States |
| Completed | 1893 |
| Client | P. T. Barnum |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Stone and terra cotta |
| Size | |
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Barnum Museum
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| Location | 805 Main St., Bridgeport, Connecticut |
| Coordinates | 41°10′31″N 73°11′19″W / 41.17528°N 73.18861°WCoordinates: 41°10′31″N 73°11′19″W / 41.17528°N 73.18861°W |
| Architectural style | Romanesque |
| Part of | Bridgeport Downtown South Historic District (#87001402) |
| NRHP Reference # | 72001300 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 7, 1972 |
| Designated CP | September 3, 1987 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Longstaff & Hurd |
| Engineer | Longstaff & Hurd |
The Barnum Museum is a museum at 805 Main Street in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States. It has an extensive collection related to P. T. Barnum and the history of Bridgeport, and is housed in a historic building on the National Register of Historic Places.
The building was originally contracted for construction by P. T. Barnum himself. The funds and land for the building and museum were provided by Barnum to house the work of the Bridgeport Scientific Society and the Fairfield County Historical Society. The structure was completed in 1893 and is home to The Barnum Museum today.
The three story museum in downtown Bridgeport is constructed of stone and terra cotta with architectural influences ranging from Byzantine to Romanesque architecture. As designed, the building was to house the societies as noted above, with the first floor of the building holding commercial establishments. Relief panels lining the top of the building contain imagery from America's history including Native American, maritime, Civil War and industrial age reliefs. There are also busts interspersed among the relief panels of a Native American, Christopher Columbus, George Washington, Elias Howe, Civil War General Winfield Scott and Grover Cleveland.
Before his death, P. T. Barnum bequeathed the sum of US$100,000 for the establishment of the structure. Completed in 1893, the building was originally called The Barnum Institute of Science and History and opened on February 18 of that year. As imagined, it originally operated as a resource library and a lecture hall, attracting such luminaries as the Wright brothers and Thomas Edison to speak.
Though designed to include them, no commercial properties ever occupied the first floor of the building. This led to financial instability in the original societies that resided in the building, as it was expected that income from those interests would help support the societies. With the onset of the depression, both societies faced fiscal hardship and were forced to cease operation. In 1933, the City of Bridgeport assumed ownership of the building. In 1936, the city opened the Barnum Museum.
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