Barnum's American Museum, New York City

The old American Museum on Broadway at Ann Street. Photograph by Photo by British photographer William England (1816-1896). The Park Row and City Hall Park are to the left.

Phineas Taylor Barnum (1810-1891) acquired the five-story building and natural history collection of Scudder's American Museum in 1841. The Barnum's Museum opened on January 1, 1842. It was a mix of a zoo, museum, lecture hall, wax museum and theater. On July 13, 1865, the Museum burned to the ground. In 1867, the Herald Building was completed on the site.