The dramatic rooflines, curved Moorish style windows, and terracotta-tile roof suggest a similar profile to that of a circus big top.

Once settled in the new residence, the Sells' furnished the house with pieces from their travels around the world, creating a lavish and exotic feel to the interior.

[2] Sells built it to placate his wife Mary, who did not share his enthusiasm for the circus, animals, and the frequent travels the business involved.

[4] The Sells family occupied the house until 1899, when Peter and Mary divorced due to her alleged infidelity.

[7] Amid decorative additions, the family also installed a geothermal system and rainwater catchment cistern in the house.

[6] Fritz Harding estimates the house is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and hopes the current owner's renovations will lead to its listing.

[13] The renovations involved replacing the electrical service and wiring, pouring concrete for a remaining dirt portion of the basement floor, repairing plumbing and gas lines, replacing its geothermal unit, and adding solar panels to the garage roof.

[8] The eclectic building is widely considered one of Columbus's great houses, designed by perhaps its most famous architects.

[6] The three-story house features a pair of round first-floor rooms which have exterior brick cornices resembling the fringe of a circus tent.

[9] The house has 7,414 sq ft (688.8 m2) divided into twelve rooms, including four bedrooms, five full bathrooms, and two half-baths.

[7] Wolfe purchased the carriage house separately from the Hardings in 2017 for $480,000, and attempted to sell it in April 2019 for $650,000,[11] relisting for $525,000 in 2020.

It has been the location for prominent gatherings, like an After-School All-Stars event with Arnold Schwarzenegger in March 2017, and other activities including art exhibits and filming for a music video and a horror movie.

[11][15] A chest of circus memorabilia, which once belonged to Willie Sells (a brother of Peter), is kept in the house and always sold with it.