On July 13, 1865 Barnum's American Museum burned in one of the great fires of New York City history. The building was destroyed, and hardly any exhibits or artifacts were saved from the flames.
Barnum vowed to continue his business at a new museum, and made several other attempts to continue in the museum business. But in the minds of New Yorkers at the time, nothing else could come close to the affection they felt for the original American Museum at Ann Street and Broadway.