Returning to The Ringling - the Circus Museum and Ca’ d’Zan

Another cooler day afforded a return visit to The Ringling, this time to see the Circus Museum and to go into Ca’ d’Zan.  

The Circus Museum was established in 1948 and is the first museum of its kind to document the history of the circus.  The museum has a collection of handbills, posters and art prints, circus paper, business records, wardrobe, performing props, circus equipment, and parade wagons.

The Greatest Show on Earth, a 924 foot square mural depicts the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey show of the 1970s and 80s.  This colossal work salutes such feature acts as aerialist Dolly Jacobs, her father, master clown Lou Jacobs, and the celebrated animal presenter Gunther Gebel-Williams.

19th and early 20th century posters.

The Howard Bros. Circus model was built by Howard Tibbals. It is a 3/4 inch-to-the-foot scale replica of the Ringing Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and includes a complete reproduction of the entire circus (circa the 1920s).  Tibbals started working on the model in earnest in 1956 and much of it was completed by 1974 but it did not premier until the 1982 World’s Fair.  In 2004 it took Tibbals over one year to set up the circus at its current location at The Ringling.  With over 44,000 pieces it is the world’s largest miniature circus.

John Ringling owned a private railroad car and used it from 1905 to 1917 to travel with his circus, take vacations, and conduct business trips.  It’s called The Wisconsin, named after his home state.  The Wisconsin was built by the Pullman Company, and is divided into an observation room, three staterooms, a dining room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and servants’ quarters.  The interior is made of mahogany and other woods, intricate moldings, gold-leaf stencils and stained glass.  The 10-foot high ceilings are painted viva gold, baize green, and fiery brown.

Back to Ca’ d’Zan (“House of John”) this time to go inside.  This 36,000 square-foot house sits on the waterfront of Sarasota Bay.  It is five storeys high and has a full basement.  The Ringlings had been travelling throughout Europe for nearly 25 years, acquiring circus acts and their home was inspired by and designed in the Venetian Gothic style of the palazzos that ring the Venice canals.

We could only go into the first floor rooms which included living, entertaining and dining areas.

A crystal chandelier from the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel hangs in the living room above a black and white marble tiled floor.

Mable’s Secret Garden where she, John and his sister Ida Ringling North are buried.  Mable created this garden with plants given to her by friends and neighbours during her winters at Ca’ d’Zan.

Hard to see in the photo but this is an amazing branch, stretching for metres, all the way from the left to the right of the photo.

This is a particularly wonderful banyan tree.  The trunk is on one side of the pathway and some of the roots have grown down on the other side.