Barnum House

Barnum House sits at 140 Fairfield Avenue in Downtown Bridgeport and stands out as an old thirteen-story Art Deco tower built back in 1927, though some records put the full apartment building completion in 1980, and it was first a hotel called Hotel Beach or sometimes Hotel Barnum, so when you walk into the lobby you can still see many of the special finishes and period details, especially on the second floor, and the outside of the building is hard to miss with its colored bricks, round-arch Romanesque windows on the second story, a stepped look made by two eight-story sections, and two ten-story towers that stick out from the main tower. The building has a spot on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of the Bridgeport Downtown North Historic District, which means it's got a bit of history. Barnum House is now a senior residential apartment building with 83 apartments in total-mainly one-bedroom units and a few studios-with about 38,180 square feet inside, and is set up with affordable housing options for low-income seniors who want independent living, or may need more support with services like assisted living, memory care, nursing services, home care, hospice, and respite care. Residents can find amenities like a community room, a fitness center, covered parking, elevators, and all utilities are included in the apartments, which makes things simpler. There's on-site professional management, and people can bring pets because it's got a pet-friendly policy. The apartments have 24-hour emergency maintenance, scheduled transportation to help with errands or appointments, and meals are provided with a focus on good nutrition. Assisted living services here support tasks such as bathing, getting dressed, and managing medicine, and the memory care unit offers help for those with Alzheimer's or dementia, aiming to reduce confusion and keep people safe. There's live-in care home support for those who need more help each day in a home-like setting. Barnum House offers both independent living for people who are healthy and want their own place, and a range of care services for those who need extra help. The building is well-kept and offers both comfort and some unique historic charm for seniors who live there.