At this "beautiful country seat"[1] Barnum played host to such famous contemporaries as the Hutchinson Family Singers,[2] Matthew Arnold, George Armstrong Custer, Horace Greeley, and Mark Twain.

It was a mix of Byzantine, Moorish, and Turkish decorative elements,[4] inspired by the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, England,[4] which Barnum visited shortly after its construction and admired.

As such an architectural style had not yet become established in the United States, Barnum describes his efforts to have it built: I concluded to adopt it, and engaged a London architect to furnish me a set of drawings after the general plan of the pavilion, differing sufficiently to be adapted to the spot of ground selected for my homestead.

On my second return visit to the United States, I brought these drawings with me and engaged a competent architect and builder, giving him instructions to proceed with the work, not 'by the job' but 'by the day,' and to spare neither time nor expense in erecting a comfortable, convenient, and tasteful residence.

The work was thus begun and continued while I was still abroad, and during the time when I was making my tour with General Tom Thumb through the United States and Cuba.

After the fire, bank assignees sold the property, including the surviving outbuildings, to Elias Howe, the inventor of the sewing machine.

The museum also has a recreation of Iranistan's library that holds furniture designed by cabinetmaker Julius Dessoir and "showcases Barnum's distinctive taste.