40 US Historical Homes That Are Worth the Visit

7.The Ringling Mansion: Ca’ d’Zan

It turns out having a monopoly on traveling circuses was an incredibly lucrative venture at the turn of the century. McGregor, Iowa born John Ringling put that wealth to use to create the palatial Venetian Gothic Revival mansion called Ca’ d’Zan in Sarasota, Florida. In 1884, John and four brothers, along with another showman, formed “The Yankee Robinson and Ringling Brothers Double Show.” Let’s note that this first show was the only one the Ringling Brothers took second billing. In 1888, their humble performance had graduated into the “Ringling Brothers United Monster Shows, Great Double Circus, Royal European Menagerie, Museum, Caravan and Congress of Trained Animals.” By 1889, with the use of railroad cars, they became the first true traveling circus.

The mansion’s name, Ca’ d’Zan, means House of John in Venetian, a regional Romance language. The mansion, sitting on 20 acres of land purchased in 1911 by John and wife Mable, overlooks Sarasota Bay. Architect Dwight James Baum pulled numerous designs from the Ringlings’ extensive travel. One includes the famed Doge Palace in Venice as well as more contemporary buildings like the original tower of Madison Square Garden and Mable Ringling’s travel sketches. The 22,000 square feet four-story residence has 32 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, and the original crystal chandelier from New York’s famed Waldorf Astoria. This estate is truly stunning, with its stark Gothic design surrounded by the Florida landscape and 1,000 feet long waterfront.