Impressive Gilded Age Ringling mansion in Sarasota, FL

Completed in 1926 as the winter residence of circus mogul, capitalist, entrepreneur and art collector John Ringling and his wife Mable, Ca' d'Zan is a Mediterranean revival-style gem on the shores of Sarasota Bay

One of America's wealthiest couples, the Ringlings built this 36,000 square-foot house for $1.5 million (roughly $16 million today); it sits on a waterfront site 1,000 feet long and 3,000 feet deep and is five stories tall and has a full basement

Ca’ d’Zan means House of John, in the Venetian dialect; inspired by and designed in the Venetian Gothic style of the palazzos that ring the canals, this palatial mansion perfectly captures the splendor and romance of the Italy the Ringlings so loved

A crystal chandelier from the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel hangs in the Great Room; it was fashionable at the time for the wealthy to show how cosmopolitan they were by commissioning ceiling murals which the Ringlings' did throughout the house

The dining room could handle 22 guests; the home features an eclectic array of stylistic influences, including Venetian Gothic, Italian Renaissance, Moorish, and Spanish-inspired elements drawn from different historic periods

Tap Room; the residence is a rare survivor and glamorous icon of the Florida Boom Years of the 1920s, for which John Ringling played a major role as a real estate developer in Sarasota

Ballroom; by the 1990s Ca' d'Zan was suffering from years of neglect so that in 1996 it closed for restoration; requiring $15+ million, the home finally reopened to the public in 2002 as the grandest mansion on Florida's Sunshine Coast

John Ringling purchased this Aeolian Duo-Art organ in 1924 for $25,000; the organ can be played manually, or by paper organ rolls, like a player piano with the echo chamber and 2280 pipes hidden on the mezzanine level behind Flemish tapestries

When John Ringling died in December of 1936 he bequeathed his estate to the people of Florida, but legal wrangling with his creditors went on for a decade until the property finally passed unencumbered to the state; it re-opened to the public in 1946

Guests entered through a Gothic arched doorway with 12 ft carved walnut doors to give an Old World appearance; the entrance is flanked by two large Flemish tapestries, beneath which are two large 19th century chests

The upstairs was off-limits due to Covid but photographs were displayed showing the opulence; only three years after the house's completion, Mable, who oversaw every aspect of the construction, died from Addison’s disease and the complications of diabetes

Kitchen pantry; the cabinetry displayed the extensive collection of china collected during the Ringlings’ world travels; a custom-made German silver sink provided a soft, forgiving surface to protect the fine crystal, china and earthenware from breakage

Breakfast Room; normally there are guided tours of the house but, with the pandemic, those were not available; there was no signage in the individual rooms but there was an audio guide providing informative commentary