Ca’ d’Zan, was a Venetian Gothic residence in Sarasota, Florida, which was the winter home of the American circus owner, developer and art collector John Ringling and his wife Mable. They 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. Ca’ d’Zan, means “House of John”, in the dialect of their beloved Venice.
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. Mable, who had kept an oilskin portfolio filled with postcards, sketches
and photos she had collected during her travels, oversaw every aspect
of the construction. The home was built from terra cotta “T” blocks, concrete and brick, it is
covered with stucco and embellished with glazed tile.
Decorative tile medallions, balustrades and ornamental cresting in soft
red, yellow, green, blue and ivory highlight the pink patina of the
stucco and exterior.
Sadly, only three years after
its completion, Mable died from Addison’s disease and the complications
of diabetes. 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 still in a state of disrepair. It was so run down it was used as Miss Haversham’s Mansion in the 1998 production of Great Expectations.
Restoration of the home was finally completed in 2002, at a cost of $15 million, ten times that of
the original house, Ca’ d’Zan was returned to its former glory
and reopened as the grandest mansion on Florida’s sun coast. Today it
stands as one of America’s architectural treasures.