Saturday, April 5, 2014

John Ringling: Dreamer, Builder, Collector

John Ringling
As mentioned in a previous post, I did not take many pictures when I went to the Ringlling Museum   with visiting friends. I knew that I would go again, and I knew that there were too many pictures to take on that particular occasion. Bruce and I did make it back, and nearly five hours later, we covered as much territory as our tired feet could cover!

It had been my intention to divide our visit into two separate posts, but I see now that that will be impossible - there is just too much to cover. So -today I will bring you Ca'd'Zan, the Ringling residence. My next post will cover the Museum of Art, and a portion of The Circus Museum. I will devote my final post on this visit to The Tibbals Learning Center, a portion of the Circus Museum, and sadly, a building that my friends and I missed completely on the previous visit.

First up, a video providing an overview of the property, and a bit of history.



Ca'd'Zan

"The home of the circus king and his wife, a couple from humble mid-western origins, Ca’ d’Zanstands as a testament to the American Dream of the Roaring Twenties. Inspired by and designed in the Venetian Gothic style of the palazzos that ring the Venice canals, this dazzling palatial mansion perfectly captures the splendor and romance of the Italy the Ringlings so loved. To honor its owner, they named it Ca’ d’Zan, “House of John”, in the dialect of their beloved Venice."  http://www.ringling.org/ (and all subsequent, quoted information in the posts to follow that are devoted to the Ringling Museum)

Downstairs

Mabel Ringling





Upstairs
John Ringling's Bedroom
Mabel Ringling's Bedroom (There were other bedrooms on the third floor that we did not have access to)



Quite Something!

7 comments:

  1. I do too Clarice! I always wish that I could have been a fly upon the wall!

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  2. Wow, what a palace! Amazing architecture and just like I have seen it in Venice! Thank you for sharing the video tour and all your stunning photos!

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    1. It really is stunning! While the video is a bit old - so is the mansion!

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  3. What a mansion! I love visit such museums, wandering through the rooms, wondering how they were in everyday life, what the people were like that lived in them...

    This house looks a bit like Downton Abbey if it were Venetian :)
    I look very forward to your next post!

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    1. I love to go through places like this as well. I always imagine living there at the time it was built - another life for sure!

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  4. Thanks for taking us back to such an opulent time and place! I'll watch the video when I have a few more minutes. I imagine it will be quite interesting, even if a bit old, as you noted.

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    1. It was definitely opulent. I wouldn't mind giving it a try!

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