built in sarasota, florida from 1924-1926 for $1.5 million (yes, that's 1920 dollars!), Ca'd'Zan is a stunning venetian gothic mansion. the couple had made sarasota their winter home and that of the ringling circus since 1911 when they bought 20 acres of land on sarasota bay. there's an extended deck, all in pink and black marble and graceful views of the quiet waters and (now) city skylines.
the interiors of the house are expectedly lavish and absolutely gorgeous. the living room, designed for entertaining and also cleared of furniture for balls....
on the property, john built a 21 gallery museum to house his growing art collection. the gallery is a long U shape with a tranquil palazzo hidden in the middle. there are bridges crossing the sunken gardens and the marble sculptures are prominently on display.
sadly, mable died in 1929 only 3 years after the completion of this monument to extravagant beauty. john followed in 1936. he willed the house, grounds and all the contents to the people of sarasota. for more personal history, click here and for more information about Ca'd'Zan or the museum, click here.
by far the best, was the circus museum with the restored Wisconsin, the ringling's personal railcar for traveling, several props including hoops, a 12ft unicycle and various cars and animal cages, and costumes! there was a room full of the acrobat costumes, Gunther Gable's cape (dave tells me he was a famed lion tamer) and well, a room of clown stuff i skipped (creepy damn clowns).
honestly the trip is well worth it if you're in sarasota. the grounds are spectacular with banyon trees and red cotton trees scattered around...and we didn't even get to mable's rose garden which was enormous. be prepared to spend several hours there, luckily there's a cafe which sells john ringling's favorite beer: PBR. i kid you not. there was a sign :)
1 comment:
Sooooooo tight! Thanks for posting these! :)
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