HISTORY OF CA' D'ZAN, also known as the Ringling's winter home.
The Ringlings had been
traveling throughout Europe for nearly 25 years, acquiring circus acts and art.
They both greatly admired the architectural style of Venice’s Ducal Palace, Ca’
d’Oro and the Grunwald Hotel. When they decided to build a home in Sarasota,
Florida, where they had been winter residents for a number of years, The
Ringlings took these palazzi as their inspiration – and Sarasota Bay as their
Grand Canal.
One of America’s
wealthiest couples, the Ringlings started building Ca’ d’Zan in 1924 and
completed it shortly before Christmas in 1926 at the then princely sum of $1.5
million. Sadly, their happiness there was not to last, for only three years
after its completion, Mable died from Addison’s disease and the complications
of diabetes.
The 36,000 square-foot
house sits on a waterfront site 1,000 feet long and 3,000 feet deep. It is five
stories tall and has a full basement.
Originally roofed with
16th century Spanish tiles imported by the builder, the bayfront terrace was
made from domestic and imported marble..
Inside, the main floor
includes living, entertaining and dining areas. The Ringlings private bedrooms
as well as five guest bedrooms are found on the second floor along with the
servants’ quarters. On the third floor there is a game room and bath. On the
fourth floor there is a great beamed guest room and bath with windows on all
four sides. At the property’s pinnacle is an 82-foot-high tower with an
open-air landing and a high-domed ceiling. Legend has it that John enjoyed
taking guests up to the tower to show them his land holdings in Sarasota, which
then extended nearly as far as the eye could see.
Ca’ d’Zan is every bit as
opulent inside as it is outside. Paintings by Langetti, Sorine, Devouge and
Mazo hang on the walls. Displayed in the small butler’s pantry is a collection
of silver that was used during formal events. The dining table accommodates 22
chairs. A crystal chandelier from the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel hangs in
the living room above a black and white marble tiled floor. There is even an
Aeolian organ with 2,289 pipes installed behind curtains in a chamber on the
second floor.
When John Ringling died in
December of 1936 he bequeathed his estate to the people of Florida, but legal
wrangling with his creditors went on for a decade until the property finally
passed unencumbered to the state. During this time Ca’ d’Zan remained closed.
Finally, in 1946 it was reopened to the public.
But the care that older
buildings require was neglected due to a lack of funds, and by the late 90’s,
Ca’ d’Zan was in such a state of disrepair it was used as the location for Miss
Havisham’s decrepit mansion in the 1996 Hollywood remake of Charles Dickens’
classic Great Expectations.
…and Restoration
That same year the mansion
was closed so that a comprehensive restoration and conservation project could
be undertaken. Much of the marble terrace had to be replaced, balusters and
railings along the waterfront were repaired and replaced, as were many of the
decorative terracotta ornaments reminiscent of Venice. Even a new roof was
installed.
In 2004 and 2005, the
home’s original gate house was restored as the entrance of the new Visitor
Pavilion, making the welcome visitors receive more authentic and true to the
original design. Finally completed in 2002, at a cost of $15 million, ten times
that of the original house, Ca’ d’Zan was happily returned to its former glory
and reopened as the grandest mansion on Florida’s Suncoast. Today it stands as
one of America’s architectural treasures.
Mark and I toured the amazing mansion and heard the history. We were followed on the tour by a series of security guards. If you leaned on a wall or door, touched an item, put your feet on the wrong spot of a stair step, or looked into another room, they let you know it. It was quite a tour and a magnificent home. No photos allowed of course, so I snagged a few from their website.
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