Ringling Museum of Art

Sarasota, Florida: John Ringling was the most well known and successful of the Ringling Brothers Circus family. Through-out his journeys across the world with the circus, he developed a rather large art collection and decided he wanted a place to display his works of art for all to enjoy. This became the backbone of the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota.

In 1921, John and Mable Ringling began spending their winters in Sarasota and decided to build home there. They purchased twenty acres of waterfront land on the banks of Sarasota Bay and the Ringling legacy in Sarasota was born.

They first began construction of the Ringling residence in 1924. The Ca d’Zan, or house of John, was built as a Mediterranean revival structure featuring elements from the Doge’s Palace in Italy to Madison Square Garden in New York City. Designed by New York architect Dwight James Baum and built by Sarasota developer Owen Burns, the Ca d’Zan was completed in 1926 at the price of $1.5 million dollars.

The construction of the residence was overseen by Mabel as John traveled frequently for business. The building consists of 41 rooms and 15 bathrooms and his five stories in height. The highlight of the structure is the Belvedere tower, an 81 foot high open tower overlooking Sarasota .

Next Ringling constructed a 21 gallery museum to house the art collection he acquired through his travels. The gallery served as home to his collection containing works from Peter Paul Rubens, Velazquez, Poussin, Van Dyck and other Baroque period pieces. The courtyard of the museum is filled with replicas of Greek and Roman sculptures including a cast of Michelangelo’s David.

The first thing built on the property was not the residence or the museum but in fact it was Mabel’s Rose Garden. Completed in 1913, the garden is modeled after a traditional Italian circular garden. The 27,225 square foot garden consist of 1,200 rose plants of various styles.

Upon Ringling’s death in 1936, the entire estate and a $1.2 million dollar endowment was willed to the State of Florida.

In 1948, the Ringling Museum of the American Circus opened on the grounds. The museum was a unique look of the history of the circus. On display was various items from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus including posters, wardrobe, equipment, parade wagons and much more.

Also in the late 1940’s, the historic Asolo Theater from Asolo, Italy relocated to Sarasota and reconstructed on the Ringling Estate grounds. Built in 1798 in Italy, the four tier horseshoe shaped theater was a regular venue for the Queen of Cyprus and was the home theatre of Italian actress Eleonora Duse. By 1930, they theater was no longer in service and was disassembled and placed into storage. In 1949, the director of the Ringling Museum of Art decided the theatre would be a perfect addition to the estate and moved the crates to Sarasota and erected the theatre in a gallery of the museum. It was decided that the theatre was to be reconstructed into a modern building so it could be used in production once again. A new building was constructed and in January 1958, the Asolo Theatre reopened with the production of Mozart’s “ Die Entfuhrung au dem Serail.”

Despite the addition of the circus museum and the Asolo Theatre, the property began to fall in disrepair. In 2000, the property was transferred to Florida State University and the estate became the largest museum/university complexes in the country.

Upon the transfer of the property, the estate witnessed a revival. All of the buildings were restored and new buildings were added. The estate added the Tibbal’s Learning Center (housing a scale replica of a Ringling Brothers Circus), the John McKay Visitor’s Pavilion (housing the Asolo Theater, visitor services and gift shop), the Education Conservation Building and the Searing Wing of the art museum. With more additions planned for the future.

Guests can tour the entire estate from the Ca d’Zan and the gardens to the Art Museum, Circus Museums and the Asolo Theater. There are guided tours throughout the day and transportation to and from the different venues is provided.

For more pictures from the estate, visit my Ringling Museum of Art photo page.