[3] Railroads were then a key industry in the United States and, as Baltimore's Garrett family owned and managed one of the biggest rail companies, the home grew and became both luxurious and famous.

[1] The house, a magnificent example of Gilded Age architecture, sits on a 26 acres (11 ha) landscaped site in Northern Baltimore and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The initial design was a more modest Italianate house but, with the Garretts, it became a 48-room mansion with a 23-karat gold plated bathroom, a 30,000-book library, and a theatre painted by famous Russian artist Léon Bakst.

The abundant decorative items in the house reflect the Garretts' travels and interests, including a red Asian room displaying Japanese and Chinese items, works by Picasso, Modigliani, and Degas, glass by Tiffany or Dutch marquetry.

Other collection strengths include natural history, such as the original pattern plates for James Sowerby's Mineral Conchology of Great Britain, travel literature, architecture, and early Americana, such as the manuscript of The History of the Ancient and Honorable Tuesday Club by Alexander Hamilton.