Carl Henning

After driving Sunday to Jeff’s, on Monday we took Karen’s suggestion to visit The Ringling. We’re glad we did.

John Ringling began staying in Sarasota in the winter when Sarasota was a village of 700 people. The rest of the year he and his wife lived in New York or in a custom Pullman car on the circus train (see the next post). He had many businesses besides the circus. There was a wooden house on the property, but is was not opulent enough for the successful businessman.

So he built Ca’ d’Zan (Venetian for House of John). Their winter home. Completed in 1927 in the Gothic Moorish style, it is a beautiful building. Click to enlarge.