Built in the 1920s by John Ringling, of the
Ringling Brothers Circus, and his wife, Mable, the Venetian-style mansion (named Cà d'Zan, meaning "House of John" in Venetian
dialect), dominates 20 acres of Sarasota
waterfront, accompanied by the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Recently
restored to its original glory, the Ringling mansion was once left a wreck with
a leaky roof.
Despite his great outward success, poor investments coupled
with the general downturn of the Depression, left Ringling near penniless at
the time of his 1936 death. Some news reports had his bank accounts
totaling a mere $311. In an effort to save his beloved home, Ringling
willed the property to the state of Florida.
By the late 1990s, the house and grounds were in a state of
utter neglect.
Its depressing appearance seems to have inspired some action
on the part of Florida, which transferred the
property to Florida
State University
and provided more than $40M toward new building, renovations, and an endowment
for the property. In 2002, a six-year renovation commenced,
eventually costing upwards of $15M.
