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PT Barnum's Mansions A Glossary of Locations from the Life and Times of P.T. Barnum: P.T. Barnum’s Mansions By Meghan Rinn and Adrienne Saint-Pierre, the Barnum Museum Iranistan An elaborate mansion designed in an eclectic Moorish revival style, Iranistan was the P.T. Barnum family’s home in Bridgeport, Connecticut, from 1848-1857. Destroyed by a fire only a decade after it was built, the home contained valuable antiques, bespoke furnishings, and artwork that Barnum acquired while in Europe or had specially made for the home. Many items were saved, and today the Barnum Museum owns a number of these pieces. Though Iranistan was Barnum’s private family residence, he used it to market his own “brand,” realizing that he himself had become famous, not just the performers he hired. To that end, lithographs, engravings, and even decorative glass panels used in mantel clocks featured the stately manor with its unique architecture, and were widely sold to the public. For the short time it stood, Iranistan was a landmark. The building was designed by Leopold Eidlitz, but essentially copied a portion of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton which Barnum saw while in England and was incredibly fond of. The design also drew heavily from eastern architecture; nothing remotely like it existed in America at the time it was built, so its opulence and unusual style became the subject of news articles, as was the housewarming party for 1000 people on November 14, 1848. The house cost Barnum well over $100,000 and sat on seventeen acres of land. The property included magnificent gardens, a greenhouse, animals that lived on the grounds, stable and carriage house, a pump house to provide water inside the home, and a large curved driveway. Detail from Painting: View of Iranistan seen from east vantage point Iranistan burned down on December 17, 1857. The family was not living in the house at the time, but they were having work done on it. It is believed that the fire began due to still burning ashes from a workman’s cigar, even though Barnum had ordered no smoking in the building. While fortunately no one was in the house when it burned, it is likely that the fire would have been detected earlier and the structure saved had someone been there. Only one architectural element was saved, an elaborate decorative piece now in the collection of the Barnum Museum. The Barnum Museum also owns original watercolor images of the home, and a large and detailed model of Iranistan, commissioned by the A&E network for a film about Barnum. No photographs of Iranistan are known to exist. Iranistan was located on what is now Fairfield Avenue, about where the Klein Auditorium stands today. At the time, it was within the eastern boundary of the town of Fairfield, an area still quite open and unpopulated compared to today. Subsequently, in 1874, the area was annexed by the City of Bridgeport. Lindencroft Barnum’s second mansion in Bridgeport, Connecticut, was completed around 1860. It was built to replace the family’s famous “Oriental Villa” home known as Iranistan, which had burned in December 1857. Located on Fairfield Avenue about one thousand yards from the site of Iranistan, the new, Italianate-style home was designed by A.G. Tallmadge of Fairfield, Connecticut. The name Lindencroft was chosen because of the linden trees that stood on the property. Barnum’s wife Charity, who had a passion for flowers, assisted with the landscape design and flower gardens. Barnum’s two eldest daughters were married and living in their own homes, but the youngest, Pauline, was still living with her parents. Caroline Barnum happened to live close by, and photos exist of all three sisters and their parents sitting on the porch of the mansion. Lindencroft was used by the family until 1869, when the household moved to a newly-built mansion, Waldemere, facing Long Island Sound. The move was prompted by the recommendation of Charity’s doctor that she be near the sea air to improve her Photograph: Lindencroft from a distance with visible health. The Bassick family purchased Lindencroft; it fence was remodeled and updated over the years, but was eventually demolished to make way for Bassick High School in 1924. It should be noted that at the time Lindencroft was built the home was within the boundaries of Fairfield, as Iranistan had been. Thus when Barnum served in the State Legislature in the 1860s, he was a representative from Fairfield, not Bridgeport. In 1874, the City of Bridgeport annexed the easternmost area of Fairfield, which included that portion of Fairfield Avenue where Lindencroft was located. Waldemere The third of Barnum’s homes, the construction of the Waldemere mansion was prompted by the recommendation that Barnum’s wife, Charity, be close to sea air for the sake of her health. It was built in the Victorian style, and sat on the Long Island Sound in what is now Seaside Park. The design process, advised by Frederick Law Olmstead, saw the Barnums move in during 1869. In addition to the main building, the Photographs: Set of four property had cottages on the ground including Wavewood which stereoviews of Waldemere (1 of 4) was occupied by his daughter Caroline, and the Petrel’s Nest which was for guests. The house endured for twenty years, making it the one that Barnum lived in for the longest. The University of Bridgeport sits on the former grounds. Marina Marina was the fourth and final of P.T. Barnum’s mansions in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It’s construction was prompted by Barnum’s desire to leave his young wife, Nancy Fish, a modern home after his death. Construction began in 1888, and finished in 1889. Designed by Longstaff and Hurd, Marina was built directly next to Waldemere overlooking Seaside Park and Long Island Sound. There are photographs of the Photograph: Marina, "South-east view of Marina, P. two side by side, with one nearly complete and the T. Barnum's home" other nearly ready to be dismantled. Marina survived until 1961. The two homes were located on land now owned by the University of Bridgeport; one of the university buildings was named Marina Hall. .
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