Photograph: "Construction of Barnum's home, Marina, with his Waldemere mansion on left" (owned by Bridgeport History Center)

Photograph of the construction of Barnum's home, Marina, with his Waldemere mansion on left On the left is Waldemere, a Victorian style mansion which was built in 1869 with design help from Frederick Law Olmstead. The home's location along the Long Island Sound was due to the fact that Barnum's wife, Charity Hallett Barnum, was in poor health and her doctor believed that sea air would be to her benefit. Shown on the right is Barnum's fourth and final home, Marina, here seen under construction. It was built for Barnum's much younger second wife, Nancy Fish Barnum, and featured a more up to date layout and modern amenities within. It was designed by Bridgeport architects Longstaff and Hurd, who did a number of other buildings in Bridgeport as well. After Marina was completed, Waldemere was taken down and portions of it were re-purposed in other locations. The tall center section was incorporated into a home in Stratford. Marina itself was demolished in 1961. P. T. Barnum built his last two family homes near Seaside Park, in Bridgeport, Conn., on the same patch of land, as seen here from this photograph taken around 1888 by an unknown photographer. The land where the two homes were located is now owned by the University of Bridgeport.