This popular color lithograph from the 1850s indicates how Barnum's American Museum was considered a central location in New York City. The scene depicts sleighing on a very busy winter day on Broadway, and the American Museum is prominently featured in the background.
The location at Broadway and Ann Street was a prominent corner, and was something of the Times Square of the day (at a time when Times Square was still essentially farmland).
Note the musicians playing on the balcony, a small sample of the wonders to be seen and heard inside.