It has 17th century Dutch elements such as stepped facade gable, terra cotta roof tiles, carved stonework, and decorated shutters.

The top of the building's front features a statue of David Pietersen de Vries, leader of the expedition that founded Swanendael.

The building was designed by Wilmington architect E. William Martin and completed in 1932.

Exhibits include local history, shipwrecks and lighthouses, Cape Henlopen Lighthouse, the bombardment of Lewes by the British in the War of 1812, pilots of the Delaware River and Bay, and the ever-changing Delaware coastline.

It also has a feejee mermaid on display, originally from China but purchased by a local family and donated on loan before[2]