The Circus King Who Built a Venetian Palace on the Florida Coast
5 Reasons to Visit® · Florida
The Circus King Who Built a Venetian Palace on the Florida Coast
Circus magnate John Ringling wanted to bring Venice to Florida — so he built a 56-room Venetian Gothic palace right on Sarasota Bay. Ca' d'Zan is one of the most dazzling Jazz Age mansions in America, and it's open to explore.
Advertisement
Ca' d'Zan, on the shore of Sarasota Bay in Florida, is one of the most dazzling and improbable mansions in America — a full-blown Venetian Gothic palace built not by old-world nobility but by an American circus king. This was the winter home of John Ringling, the impresario behind the Ringling Bros. circus, and his wife Mable, who dreamed it into being at the height of the Roaring Twenties. Its name means "House of John" in the Venetian dialect, and stepping onto its marble terrace above the bay, you understand exactly what they were after: they brought Venice to the Florida coast.
Advertisement
The story behind it is pure Roaring Twenties romance. John Ringling had made a vast fortune from the circus and Florida real estate, and after he and Mable fell in love with Venice on their travels, Mable set out to build a palace inspired by the Doge's Palace and the grand houses of the Grand Canal. They commissioned architect Dwight James Baum, and between 1924 and 1926 — in just two years — their dream rose from the bayfront at a cost of $1.5 million, a staggering sum for the era. Mable oversaw nearly every detail, from the frescoes to the furnishings.
The mansion itself is a showstopper, inside and out. Ca' d'Zan sprawls across some 36,000 square feet and 56 rooms over five stories, its terra-cotta exterior glowing in multiple shades of colored tile, its bayfront terrace laid in marble, its windows crowned with Gothic arches and Moorish flourishes. The soaring Belvedere Tower rises above it all, and a reflecting pool and the bay itself mirror the facade so perfectly that the whole thing shimmers like a canal-side palazzo transplanted to the Gulf Coast.
A 56-room Venetian palace on Sarasota Bay, built by a circus king in the Roaring Twenties.
Advertisement
The interiors match the ambition. Tours lead through the great Court — a breathtaking indoor living hall rising the full height of the house — the grand ballroom with its ceiling hand-painted with dancing figures, the formal dining room beneath a 1,600-pound chandelier, the solarium, the tap room, and Mable's delicate boudoir. A magnificent Aeolian pipe organ with more than 2,200 pipes still fills the house with music, and Italian marble, antique furnishings, and fine art surround visitors at every turn — a genuine window into the Ringlings' extravagant world.
It's the crown jewel of a much larger estate. Ca' d'Zan anchors The Ringling, John and Mable's 66-acre bayfront legacy, which they left to the people of Florida. The grounds also hold the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art — with its celebrated Rubens galleries and grand sculpture courtyard — the Circus Museum and its astonishing 44,000-piece miniature circus, the Historic Asolo Theater, and lush Bayfront Gardens including Mable's restored rose garden. A single visit can easily fill a full day.
Ca' d'Zan is honest about what it is — a monument to Jazz Age excess, lovingly preserved after a major multimillion-dollar restoration rather than a lived-in home. But that's exactly the wonder of it. A Venetian Gothic palace built by a circus magnate, 56 rooms of marble and terra cotta on Sarasota Bay, and a 66-acre estate of art, gardens, and circus history have made Ca' d'Zan at The Ringling one of the most extraordinary places to visit in Florida. For the traveler it offers a chance to step straight into the Jazz Age — and to see the palace one man built to bring Venice to the Gulf Coast.
Sarasota, Florida: FAQ
What is Ca' d'Zan?
Ca' d'Zan (Venetian for 'House of John') is the opulent 1920s winter mansion of circus magnate John Ringling and his wife Mable, on Sarasota Bay in Sarasota, Florida. Built between 1924 and 1926 in a Venetian Gothic style, the roughly 36,000-square-foot, 56-room palace is a National Historic Landmark and the centerpiece of The Ringling estate. It's open to visitors for tours.
Can you tour Ca' d'Zan at The Ringling?
Yes. Ca' d'Zan is open to visitors as part of The Ringling estate in Sarasota, Florida. General admission includes access to the mansion's main floor — the great Court, ballroom, dining room, and more — while special upper-floor and guided tours are available for a closer look at rooms like Mable's boudoir and the Belvedere Tower. Check The Ringling's website for current hours and tour options.
Who built Ca' d'Zan and why?
Ca' d'Zan was built by circus magnate and art collector John Ringling and his wife Mable, who were inspired by their love of Venice, Italy. They commissioned architect Dwight James Baum to design a Venetian Gothic palace on Sarasota Bay, completed in 1926. The Ringlings left the mansion and their 66-acre estate to the state of Florida, and it's now a public museum.
What else is at The Ringling in Sarasota?
Beyond Ca' d'Zan, The Ringling's 66-acre estate includes the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (with celebrated Rubens galleries and a sculpture courtyard), the Circus Museum with its 44,000-piece Howard Bros. Circus Model, the Historic Asolo Theater, and the Bayfront Gardens featuring Mable's rose garden. It's one of Florida's premier cultural attractions.
Advertisement
