In 1806, the Frankfurt merchants Franz and Georg Brentano purchased the house, built in 1751, to use as a summer residence for the family and as a transshipment point for the Rheingau wine trade. Just two years later, Georg Brentano left the house and its garden plot to his half-brother for his sole use. Subsequently, the house developed into a popular meeting place for the family (Clemens Brentano, Achim von Arnim with his wife Bettine née Brentano) and their guests (including Wilhelm Grimm and Ludwig Emil Grimm). The most prominent visitor was Johann Wolfgang Goethe, who spent a total of eight days here in early September 1814.

Since December 2014, the estate, which was continuously owned by the family for more than 200 years, has belonged to the state of Hesse. A non-profit organisation formed in equal parts by the town of Oestrich-Winkel and the Freies Deutsches Hochstift in Frankfurt am Main manages the property Since spring 2015, the Brentano Haus has been carefully renovated, with restoration work still ongoing.