Legacy Series: The House that John Built
The Mansion - Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors
Hi guys, and happy Friday!
How are you feeling? Has that “end of summer” nostalgia gotten to you yet? I have to admit, it’s gotten to me. Although I love fall, I can’t help but reminisce about all the fun times and sunny excursions I’ve had this summer with my friends and family.
So, to keep that summer feeling alive for just a bit longer – I want to talk to you about my latest trip to the sunny state of Florida; specifically in Florida’s beautiful West Coast. I had the chance to spend some time in Sarasota, where I got to combine two of my favorite things in the world: sightseeing and design!
See, in Sarasota, FL, there’s a not-to-miss attraction for everyone who loves design and architecture. I’m talking about Ca'd'Zan – a spectacular ‘20s mansion with a fascinating history...
West side view - Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors - Photography: Courtesy of The Ringling
Want to hear about it? I was also able to take some photos that I can’t wait to share with you!
So, let’s get to it.
HOW THE CA’D’ZAN MANSION CAME TO BE
I guess we should start all the way back in 1882, when an ambitious young man from Iowa started a business with his four brothers. His name was John Ringling and he was only sixteen years old at the time – I guess men had to mature faster back then!
The Ringling brothers came from a poor family of farmers who moved to Wisconsin from Iowa when the kids were young. But John had an idea that would change their lives forever: to start an entertainment business unlike any other.
The circus street procession - Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors
The five brothers had already been juggling at town hall concerts and doing comedy shows all over Wisconsin, but in 1882 they started their own circus – which essentially consisted of themselves, a horse and a bear.
But they definitely did something right.
Two years later, they joined forces with circus owner Yankee Robinson to form a joint show called, “Yankee Robinson and the famous Ringling Bros – Great Double Show”, now featuring twenty-two performing animals and other acts, charging twenty-five cents for admission.
The Ringling Brothers were quickly gaining a reputation!
Advertising Flyer - Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors
Their continued success led them to buy the Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1907. You know, the one that movie with Hugh Jackman, The Greatest Showman, was all about? Anyway, they were now the undisputed “Kings of the Show World” and, of course, kings need castles.
Or, I guess, mansions… perhaps?
So, the now very wealthy Ringling brothers built magnificent homes that reflected their great success. John Ringling, who by that time had married Mable Burton, hired New York architect Dwight James Baum in 1924, to design a house to replace their previous family residence on Sarasota Bay.
Entrance - Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors - Photography: Courtesy of The Ringling
“Ca’d’Zan”, which in Venetian Italian means “The House of John”, was completed two years and 1.5 million dollars later!
The mansion stands on the shores of Sarasota Bay – more than eighty feet high by 200 feet wide, and occupying 36,000 square feet. It is the largest and most spectacular private residence that was built on the West Coast of Florida during the real estate boom in the ‘20s.
Aerial view - Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors - Photography: Courtesy of The Ringling
A UNIQUE ARCHITECTURE APPROACH
The house was intended as a gift to John’s beloved wife. It may be called “The House of John”, but let me tell you – it was more like the House of Mable. Mrs Ringling was directly involved in all aspects of its development and wanted their new home to bring to mind the Venetian Gothic palazzo’s she used to admire while traveling in Italy.
Glazed terracotta motif on the staircase post - Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors
Ca’d’Zan’s exterior is covered in rose-colored stucco and clad in glazed and unglazed terracotta. Mable loved nature; you can see flora and fauna related themes all around the mansion.
Terracotta flora and fauna motifs - Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors
And the walkway to the mansion, lined with Royal Palm trees, is in itself a sight to behold!
With two sphinxes at its start (garden ornaments, not real ones, although at this place I wouldn’t be surprised), the walkway cuts through lush green lawn and almost forces you to stop midway to admire a star-shaped mosaic made of terracotta tiles.
Main Entrance Walkway - Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors
The mosaic depicts the signs of the zodiac – can you spot yours?
To the north of the walkway, near the mansion, a white marble swimming pool is lined with colored tiles.
The Pool - Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors
The Pool - Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors
A lot of the material was actually bought from Europe. The thousands of multi-colored ceramic tiles adorning the mansion’s roof came from demolished buildings in Granada, Spain. The main entrance steps were paved in rare Formosa marble from Germany, whilst the waterside terrace and lower dock had five different types of marble (some from Europe, some from America), all laid out in a chevron pattern.
Marble Floor - Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors
And the multi-colored, lac glass on the seven doors that open from the court to the terrace were of English origin.
Water Terrace - Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors
And speaking of that terrace – the Ringlings would host famous parties with as many as five hundred guests a time!
THE LAVISH INTERIOR
Although I wasn’t able to take photos from the interior of Ca’d’Zan, I have to say it definitely boasts the same lavishness and grandeur as the mansion’s exterior. Later I was able to reach out to the Ringling Society which kindly provided me with some magnificent photographs including mansion’s interior views. I am so happy to share them with you. Big thank you to the society and please visit their website for all the information you need regarding your visit: ringling.org
Inside Court - Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors - Photography: Courtesy of The Ringling
Decorated by Robert Webb with art by Willy Pogany, the themes of flora and fauna continue throughout the house – combined with both Venetian-inspired decorative motifs and neoclassical details. The end result is unapologetically opulent, made even more so by the Renaissance-style furniture.
Mr. Ringling’s Bathroom - Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors - Photography: Courtesy of The Ringling
Mr. Ringling’s bathroom’s walls are covered in large sheets of yellow marble, proudly showcasing a six-foot bathtub carved from a single block of stone. And the floor, paved in a checkered pattern of yellow and black marble pattern, brings all the bold elements of the room together beautifully.
Apart from being a nature lover, Mable also loved textiles. And this is evident as you stroll through Ca’d’Zan, where the use of sumptuous upholstery fabrics, such as fine velvet, add a truly beautiful texture to the property – as does her own collection of fine linen and lace.
Mable’s Bedroom - Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors - Photography: Courtesy of The Ringling
THE FAMILY LEGACY THAT SHAPED SARASOTA, FL.
John Ringling’s ‘rags to riches’ story is the quintessential American dream, and his activities as a local landowner and developer helped to transform Sarasota from a quiet fishing village to a fashionable resort town.
At some point, he used part of his property to build an art museum of a European calibre in Sarasota. Located just to the east of Ca’d’Zan, the museum was designed in the style of an Italian Renaissance villa by architect John H. Phillips, who’d previously worked on the central block of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.
The museum contained an outstanding collection, curated with the help of German art dealer Julius Bohler. It consisted primarily of European fine and decorative arts dating from the late Middle Ages to the nineteenth century – many of which acquired at auctions in NYC and London. John’s plan was for the museum to also function as an art school for students, where they would learn to draw from sculptures as it was usually done in Europe.
As such, he acquired copies of Classical, Renaissance and Baroque sculptures to decorate his many local real estate projects, purchased for the most part from the Chiurazzi Foundry in Naples, Italy. A number of the sculptures originally intended for the failed Ritz-Carlton hotel, were later installed in the courtyard.
The most impressive of the sculptures is a full-sized bronze copy of Michelangelo’s David, overlooking the courtyard from the West. You could say that it’s become a symbol of Sarasota!
Unfortunately for John’s plans, the Great Depression came so he was forced to scale down his art school plans – but he didn’t stop!
Instead, John acquired the nearby Bay Haven Hotel and commissioned Phillips to reconfigure the interiors as a school, which became an independent entity in 1933. It has since developed into one of the finest institutions of its type in the country: the Ringling College of Art and Design.
After John Ringling died in 1936, the mansion was bequeathed to the state of Florida. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, Ca’d’Jan has since been restored to its original splendor, offering visitors an opportunity to experience the luxurious lifestyle of one of the wealthiest couples in America during the roaring ‘20s. I was so lucky to be one of those visitors!
White sands of the Siesta Key Beach in Sarasota, FL - one of the most magnificent beaches in the United States - Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors
Of course, there’s much more to do in lovely Sarasota. For instance, swim at one of the most beautiful beaches in the United States, Siesta Key Beach. Even though Fall is upon us, friends, you’ll be pleased to know that Siesta Key is perfect to visit from late October to early December.
So, who’s up for another trip?
The Greatest Show on Earth, 1990 Oil on Canvas by William Woodward - Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors
I know this turned out to be a long post (sigh), but I’m hoping you were as intrigued by Ca’d’Zan as I was. Let me know if you visit it – and if you want to learn more, the book Ca'd'zan: A Pictorial Guide by Ronald R. McCarty has some great information.
Okay, that’s it for today!
I look forward to chatting again, when we’re going to be discussing some of the best ideas for Fall decoration – just in time for fall festivities!
See you then!
Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors